MV Rabaul Queen
MV Rabaul Queen arriving at Kimbe Port in 2009
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| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | MV Rabaul Queen |
| Owner: | Rabaul Shipping |
| Operator: | Star Ships |
| Port of registry: |
 Papua New Guinea
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| Route: | Kimbe—Lae |
| Completed: | 1983 |
| Out of service: | 2 February 2012 |
| Identification: |
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| Fate: | Sunk 2 February 2012 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | passenger ferry |
| Tonnage: | 259 GT |
| Length: | 155 ft (47 m) |
| Capacity: | 310 passengers (permitted) |
| Crew: | 12 |
MV Rabaul Queen was a passenger ferry owned by the Papua New Guinea company Rabaul Shipping. The ship, built in Japan in 1983, operated on short runs in that country, before being brought to Papua New Guinea in 1998 and plying a regular weekly route between Kimbe, the capital of West New Britain, and Lae, the capital of the mainland province of Morobe. In the early hours of 2 February 2012, the ferry capsized and later sank in rough conditions.
Early in the morning of 2 February 2012, the ship capsized due to rough conditions in the Solomon Sea. The ship was hit by three large waves. About four hours later, at approximately 6:00 am local time (8:00 pm on 1 February UTC), she sank 9 nautical miles (16 km) from Finschhafen. She was near the end of her 20-hour journey from Kimbe to Lae. 12 crew and an estimated 350 passengers were aboard at the time, though it is possible there may have been more than 500 passengers on the ferry.
A joint rescue effort by Papua New Guinea and Australia was formed shortly after the sinking. 246 survivors were rescued by nightfall on 2 February. As of 5 February 2012, the bodies of six victims have been recovered, and no further survivors have been rescued. Over 100 are still missing. Seven of the survivors were admitted to Angau Memorial Hospital in Lae, three of whom had serious injuries. It was reported that 27 survivors were on an uninhabited island; one survivor contacted a family member with a cell phone, although Papua New Guinea's Maritime Safety Authority claimed on 5 February that any survivors would already have been located.
Many survivors were rescued by six merchant vessels alerted by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), which was alerted by Rabaul Shipping that the ferry had disappeared from a satellite tracking system. Seven fixed wing aircraft, including a P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft from the Royal Australian Air Force, three helicopters and seven boats were involved in locating survivors. On 11 February it was reported that some of the survivors were having stomach pains because they swallowed seawater containing oil leaking from the boat.
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Wikipedia