Two crewmen found responsible for deaths in English Channel collision

Two crewmen on a Maltese-registered chemical carrier have been found partly responsible for the involuntary homicide of five men when their vessel collided with the trawler Klein Familie, which sank in the English Channel on January 5, 2006. An inquiry led by Magistrate Jacqueline Padovani has ordered that action be taken against  chief officer Vasiliy Ogarkov and able seaman Alexandrs Belikovs, for breaching their obligation to assist vessels in distress, for a breach of duty to render assistance to persons in danger at sea and for the breach of the mandatory duty to report accidents to ships. The Transport Ministry said in a statement today that the inquiry report has been forwarded to the Attorney General for any action he may deem appropriate. The inquiry concluded that the sinking of the Klein Familie had followed collision with the Maltese registered Sichem Pandora and the main two decisive factors for the collision was the lack of proper lookout of the two vessels. It also concluded that the third decisive factor for the collision was the violation of a rule on the proper lights that should be used from sunset to sunrise. The inquiry found that the contributing factors to...