Transcript
The Butiraoi, a 17-metre wooden catamaran, left the island of Nonouti on the morning of 18 January, 2018. It was not authorised to carry passengers - but left Nonouti with 89 passengers and 13 crews, as well as 30 tonnes of cargo. It was seriously overloaded.
The ship had run aground on three previous occasions - including twice at Nonouti - before setting out. It's rudder and propeller had been repaired, but no checks were done of the structure, which the commission of inquiry said had been severely compromised.
On the morning of the 18th of January, there were weather warnings about strong winds and big swells. But it also appears the captain ignored these and set out to sea anyway, without telling the marine guard at Nonouti or radioing his intentions to anyone.
As soon as it left the lagoon into the open seas, the ship started to creak, but the captain kept going. Two hours later, the beam that held the two hulls of the catamaran together gave way, and the boat collapsed in on itself.
There were only about 30 lifejackets for the 102 people on board. When the ship broke, survivors said the captain and crew didn't know what to do, and there was a scramble for the two liferafts and two dinghies. Both liferafts punctured and failed. And about 30 people managed to get aboard the two aluminium dinghies.
And there were problems with the search and rescue too?
Yeah, the Butiraoi broke apart just off the coast of Nonouti, but no one noticed that it had gone missing. In fact, it was seven days before anyone even registered that the ship had disappeared and a search and rescue mission was called.
That's because it appears the crew had turned off the generator that powers the radio, and the ship had no emergency locator beacon or it wasn't working.
The report went into quite harrowing detail about the survivors who drifted for days in the Pacific, with little food or water. One of the dinghies capsized, and they all clamoured into the last remaining one. But over the days that followed, they started to die, succumbing to dehydration or the elements.
Ten days later, a New Zealand Air Force Orion spotted seven survivors. The death toll was 95, the report said.
Should this ship have even been at sea?
No. The inquiry made clear that it was not allowed to carry passengers, that it had run aground twice before its fatal journey, it did not have the necessary equipement, and what's called a radio licence had expired, essentially making the vessel unseaworthy.
its captain and crew also ignored repeated warnings, and would often drink on the job. It really lays out a callous disregard for the rules and safety, that ultimately ended in tragedy.
What are the recommendations?
The Commission of Inquiry laid much of the blame at the feet of the ship's captain, crew and operators, saying the Butiraoi was not regularly maintained and shortcuts were taken. It gives one example from a 2017 inspection when its owner borrowed a locator beacon from a pilot boat so it could pass the survey.
But it also recommends the government tighten its regulatory procedures, including calling for better oversight of ship construction and movements, a reporting mechanism for damage, and a code of ethics for seafarers.
