Was MV Dong Fang Zhi Xing (Oriental Star) unsafe and unstable or was she just at the wrong place at the wrong time? Should the captain have anchored, as did several other ships on the river, when he received warning of bad weather, or would the ship have capsized at anchor or underway when hit by the tornado? As the Chinese come to terms with the greatest nautical tragedy in decades, there are far more questions than answers.
The official Xinhua News Agency is reporting that only 14 had been rescued, and more than 70 confirmed dead, of the 458 aboard the ill-fated passenger ship that capsized in the Yangtze River on Monday night. The captain, Zhang Shunwen, along with the chief engineer, was one of the few survivors. He has been detained by the police for questioning.
The captains of at least two other ships on the same section of the Yangtze River chose to anchor their ships on Monday night after the local maritime bureau sent a warning to expect heavy rain and thunderstorms for the next six hours. The passenger vessel, Yangtze Sightseer No. 6, anchored at around 9:10 PM six miles away from the disaster. The car carrier, Changhang Jiangning, dropped anchor in order to wait out the storm just as it was being overtaken by the Dong Fang Zhi Xing, according to a state newspaper, The Chutian Metropolis Daily. The Dong Fang Zhi Xing is believed to have capsized around 9:30 PM.
On the other hand, it is unclear if anchoring would have made a difference. As reported by Chicago Weather Center:
Winds were estimated to be greater than Beaufort Force 12, or about 74 mph. Harold Brooks, senior scientist at NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory, analyzed the weather conditions in the area and confirmed that the highly unstable atmosphere was supportive of supercell thunderstorms and tornadoes. In addition to the devastating winds, the storms, towering to 55,000 feet, produced more than 2.5 inches of rain. It is possible that in addition to the straight-line winds, a small tornado hit the ship when the thunderstorms rolled in.
Chinese authorities will start righting a capsized ship in the Yangtze River which went down in a storm on Monday carrying more than 400 people at 8 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Thursday, state news agency Xinhua said.
There was a report in the Chinese press that the river vessel Eastern Star had been sited for numerous safety violations. It seems remarkable that a central control nation such as the PRC did not just stop the vessel from sailing until all was put in order.
This would seem to indicate a lack of practical concern for maritime safety by the PRC. One hopes that PRC international vessels arriving in IMO Ports are given a full safety examination regardless of any political sensitivity.
Good Watch.
Hello Captain! From what I read, Dong Fang Zhi Xing/Oriental Star/Eastern Star was one of several vessels cited in a general crackdown on vessel safety. From what I have read there is no way to determine, at this point, what the issues were or whether they were addressed. I agree completely that PRC ships arriving in IMO ports should undergo careful inspection. Dong Fang Zhi Xing, as an inland vessel, never had a IMO number. It is possible that the ship was unsafely operated, maintained or designed. It is also possible that she was struck by weather far outside of what she was designed for. It is also possible that there were elements of both possibilities present in the tragedy.