Sri Lankan skipper earns highest honour for bravery

By Manjula Fernando

It was February 2, 2012, around 12.00 noon. When the May Day alert came, Skipper Vimar Vidanagamage of cargo vessel MV Kwangtung was getting ready to set sail to Japan from the Port of Lae in the island state Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Skipper Vimar Vidanagamage

They were preparing the bridge and the ship's radio communications were opened to take in the day's happenings.

Immediately, a telex from the Australian Rescue Coordinating Centre (RCC) of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority started to roll in. A ferry carrying nearly 500 passengers on board had sunk, some 80 kilometres from where he was and the nearest coast to the sunken ferry was 16 kilometres away.

The boat in distress was a small craft used to transport locals between the small islands of Papua New Guinea. There were women and children among them. When he read the contents of the telex, it did not strike Captain Vidanagamage, a second generation seafarer that this particular Thursday would be an unforgettable day in his maritime life. He only knew that it was a call that he and his crew were duty bound to respond.

Following the SOS and the call for help Captain Vidanagamage weighed their chances with his Ukrainian second officer. He then contacted his bosses at the China Navigation Company Ltd., a UK based shipping line.

He explained the SOS and notified his intention to join in the rescue. A prompt go-ahead was received from the other end.

MV Kwangtung had just completed a full round, picking up cargo from several destinations and the Port of Lae in Papua New Guinea where she was anchored presently was the last port of loading. It carried four tiers of containers and was not in the best of shape to go on a rescue mission to 'hunt' for people in a sinking ship.

Captain Vimar Vidanagamage and his crew in the MV Kwangtung. Pix: Airport Cor, Kumarasiri Prasad

They were to deliver the goods to a number of countries starting from Port Davao in the Philippines, Osaka in Japan, Ulsan in Korea, Keelung in Taiwan, Shanghai in China and finally Hong Kong, before heading south.

The captain and his crew were aware of the enormous risk they were taking. "The sea was rough and the swell at the site was about five metres high. In a rescue operation of this nature the ship has to manoeuvre close turns. We were in bad shape with a full capacity cargo.

Moreover, unlike when the ship is moving, in a drifting mode the hulk of the ship has to withstand the full brunt of the swells," the captain said.

But Capt. Vidanagamage said he was fully backed by his company which was willing to take the risk and bear the costs for lost time and fuel for the sake of the lives that could be saved. Shockingly, he and the crew heard that most of the passengers on board the sunken ferry had no life jackets.

The Australian RCC which picked up the SOS was calling all ships in the area to join in the search and rescue, to save the scores of people left adrift. Because their chances of survival were minimal without life saving gear, the RCC was calling the ships to act swiftly.

There were as many as 12 ships in the area but unfortunately many either did not respond or refused to assist giving various personal excuses. It is not unusual though. Deviation from their routines could cost the shipping companies dearly. Therefore no one is willing to take a risk, especially if the weather is not favourable.

Arrival at the BIA after collecting the award

The PNG ship that sank killing many of its passengers

MV Kwangtung

"A captain is legally obliged to seek assistance, if a ship is in distress in the waters you are trading, after ensuring that the cargo and the crew are not endangered by the action. That is the norm but in reality this is not the way things happen. They could come out with some excuse to bypass the situation. But if it happened in Australian waters it would have been a different story," the captain said.

One reason why the award was given to Captain Vidanagamage and his crew was that MV Kwangtung joined in voluntarily when many others refused, and the ship stayed on until the main rescue operation was called off.

The PNG ferry Rabaul Queen, was carrying more than she could hold.

"She was completely overloaded. And it seemed the weather did little to help," Captain Vidanagamage recalled.

MV Rabaul Queen can carry only 295 passengers. The ship operators maintained that she had 350 at the time of the tragedy. The Australian RCC, however, suspected that there could have been well over 450 passengers, some unlisted as well, on board when it went down. None of the passengers seemed to have worn life jackets.

It was sailing from 'Kimber' Island of New Britain to the coastal city of 'Lae' on the main Island of PNG. "As I sailed off, I informed the Australian RCC that I am heading to the site and it will take over five hours to reach. When I reached the location there were more ships - most of them were passing through, since the location is a high traffic area for cargo ships. But there were ships helping in the rescue too," Captain Vidanagamage said.

Upon arrival, the ship manned by the Lankan captain was immediately appointed 'On Scene Command' of the whole operation for the next 48 hours. On Scene Command usually given to the first ship to reach the site, is awarded considering the track record of the Master of a ship.

The duties of an On Scene Command involves coordinating between rescue crafts and the RCC, identifying the vessels participating in the operation, their capabilities and limitations, monitoring all vessel movements and providing them with relevant information.

MV Kwangtung took over the Command from another merchant ship MOL Summer which had reached the location a few hours before Kwangtung, on the instructions of the Australian RCC.

Despite bad weather and the enormity of the tragedy, (life saving gear in the sunken ship had allegedly been locked away for fear of passengers stealing them), the whole operation that involved one rescue plane, two helicopters and eight boats managed to pick up a total of 246 passengers off the sea.

Later the sea was scanned for bodies but the joint rescue operation found just four bodies during the two and a half days. The PNG officials were to continue the rescue operation with local help.

Survivors being rescued

People who were saved said women with young children were trapped in the vessel when the ship sank. The owner of the ferry fleet, an Australian, was interrogated for days over the risky way his ferries operated.

Capt. Vidanagamage, received the highest honour a Sri Lankan Capt. has earned for bravery and commitment.

At the recently held Lloyd's List Global Awards in Manchester, UK the following was said about MV Kwangtung in giving away the award "The officers and crew of this general cargo vessel displayed impeccable seamanship and courage, rightly winning them much praise in the aftermath of this tragic casualty and the enduring respect of our judging panel."

His company, owned by a British family venture that has grown over four generations, sponsored the trip for him and his wife to receive the award in Manchester.

Apart from his country, Captain Vidanagamage has made his father, a retired naval officer turned seafarer, a very proud man.