HK Ferry Crash

[* ORM *]

Woke this morning to hear this 36 dead so far. Yesterday was a national holiday culminating in a firework display that was breathtaking. 25 minutes and just when you thought it can't get any better they kept coming bigger and better. Some of these people were on their way to it.

The ferries run all day every day to 4 or 5 of the surrounding islands carrying a mixture of workers and tourists pkus other ferries to Macau (every 15 mins to take the HKers to gamble (not permitted in HK) Incredibly safe despite the shipping lanes it crosses with some of the largest ships I've ever seen plus junks, trawlers etc. I regularly catch them to go Island hopping. Also a public holiday again today. This is HK life goes on but it's wall to wall coverage out here naturally.

In fact I'll be off to Macau tomorrow. Parents are over here for the week.

 

[A Century United]

When I went to Macau, it was an enclosed ferry and once we had all taken our seats, they folded down seats into the aisle and filled them too, so until the people sitting in what had been the only access to the exit got off and their seats had been folded out of the way, there was literally no way out. I thought at the time it was a bit dodgy if anything happened. Does that system still exist?

 

[* ORM *]

Not on the Macau ferries I've been on. They're all speedy Cstamarans and you can get up and walk around on them. However they are all enclosed and you're right I wouldn't fancy my chances in a full on collision bun they're pretty modern. Many of the local Island ferries are similar but Plenty of escape options. Some of them are older and normal/slower ferries and I'm guessing this was one of them chartered by the company to take its staff and friends to the fireworks.

I did do some reading up and their safety record is impeccable so I'll reserve judgement for the full story but to go down in 10 minutes is worrying. Still doesn't make sense to me why one of the boats limped into harbour when there were people floating around in the sea, unless with their own damage that was te best option.