香港调查南丫岛撞船事故原因

Maritime investigators are looking at a number of possible causes for Hong Kong's worst maritime disaster in 40 years, including whether the high-speed ferry that collided with a boat packed with families on Monday had been going faster than usual or deviated from its normal course, the city's marine department said.

香港海事处说，海事调查人员正在调查香港40年来最严重海事灾难的多个可能原因，包括周一与一艘满载员工家属的轮船相撞的那艘高速渡轮当时是不是在以超正常速度行驶、是不是偏离了正常航道。

As residents on Thursday participated in mourning rites and ships sounded long blasts from their horns to honor the 38 children and adults who perished, marine experts tried to parse clues as to what occurred during the accident, which took place on a clear night. Among the more than 120 people on the boat, which quickly sank after the collision, nearly a third died, including five children.

周四，香港市民参加仪式、轮船长时间鸣笛，悼念38名死难儿童和成人。与此同时，海事专家则在分析线索，了解事故发生时的情况。事故是在一个晴朗的夜晚发生的，轮船被撞之后很快沉没，船上120多人近三分之一死亡，其中五人是儿童。

Flags throughout the city were lowered to half-staff Thursday to begin three days of official mourning for the victims. Top government officials, lawmakers and stock-market executives observed three minutes of silence. Many local residents in the normally hectic city also paused, watching live television coverage of the memorials.

周四全城降下半旗，开始举行为期三天的官方哀悼仪式。政府高官、议员和股市经理人默哀三分钟。在这座平时熙熙攘攘的城市，很多当地居民也驻足观看关于哀悼活动的电视直播。

On Thursday evening, 15 people rescued from the boat remained hospitalized, with a 10-year-old girl in critical condition.

周四晚上，从轮船上救起的15人仍在住院，一位10岁女童状况危急。

'It was astonishing that so many people were killed in this accident, in such a modern city,' said Chung Tung-tong, general secretary of the Merchant Navy Officers' Guild Hong Kong. 'If these two vessels collided in good weather and the engine wasn't in trouble, there must be someone who did something wrong,' said Mr. Chung, who has more than 30 years of experience working as a ferry captain.

香港商船高级船员协会(Merchant Navy Officers' Guild Hong Kong)秘书长锺东堂(Chung Tung-tong)说，在这么现代化的一座城市，这么多人在这起事故中遇难，让人震惊；如果两艘船是在良好天气下相撞且发动机没有问题，那么肯定有人做错了某件事情。锺东堂有30多年的渡轮船长经验。

The crash occurred over a holiday weekend, when crowds swelled across Lamma Island. Some Lamma residents said the site of the crash suggested the ferry had veered off its normal course. Several regular ferry passengers said they thought it was traveling unusually fast. There is no speed limit in the waters where the crash occurred.

撞船事故发生在一个节庆周末，当时南丫岛(Lamma Island)人满为患。一些南丫岛居民说，从撞船事故现场来看，渡轮驶离了正常航道。多位经常乘坐渡轮的居民说，他们觉得涉事渡轮的行驶速度快于通常水平。撞船水域没有速度限制。

Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry Holdings Ltd., which operated the ferry, said Thursday that the vessel didn't deviate from its course and declined to comment about its speed, saying further investigations are still needed. The company had said earlier that the ferry had passed government inspections in September. Local utility Hongkong Electric Co., which owned the sunken boat, said its maintenance procedures have followed marine-department requirements.

渡轮的运营方港九小轮控股有限公司(Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry Holdings Ltd.)周四表示渡轮没有偏离航道，并拒绝就其速度置评，表示仍需进一步调查。该公司早些时候曾说，该渡轮通过了政府9月份的检查。沉没轮船的船东香港电灯有限公司(Hongkong Electric Co.)表示，其船舶维护流程遵守了海事处的要求。

Both these questions will be addressed in the city's investigation, the marine department said Thursday. Other issues that will be tackled, the department said, include questions over why the Hongkong Electric boat sank so quickly, as well as whether there was sufficient safety equipment on board, and if any of the crews had violated maritime laws during the incident. Hong Kong & Kowloon Ferry said its crew and captain were interviewed by police.

海事处周四说，两个问题都将在调查中涉及。该处表示这次调查还会了解其他一些问题，如港灯公司的那艘轮船为什么那么快沉没，船上的安防设施是否充足，以及事故中有没有船员违反海事法律。港九小轮公司表示其船员和船长接受了警方讯问。

While Hong Kong has long been a bustling port, land reclamation over the years has narrowed Hong Kong's already congested waterways. In the wake of Monday's accidents, experts and observers have questioned whether the harbor and nearby waters have grown too crowded.

香港很久以来一直是一个繁忙港口，但围海造地使它本已十分拥挤的海域变得更加狭窄。周一事故发生之后，专家和观察人士纷纷质疑港口及附近海域是不是已经变得过于拥挤。

Last year, there were 351 accidents in Hong Kong waters, of which nearly 60% were collisions. In 2007, there were 278, of which 53% were collisions.

去年香港海域发生事故351起，其中接近六成为撞船事故。2007年发生事故278起，53%为撞船事故。

Because of the nature of the damages, several marine experts said Thursday that it seemed very likely the ferry had struck the Hongkong Electric boat. The collision mangled the Hongkong Electric boat's stern and part of its side, sending water into internal cabins, they said, which made the back of the boat heavier, causing the boat to tip upright and sink.

多位海事专家周四表示，从事故所造成损害的性质来看，渡轮撞上港灯公司轮船的可能性非常高。他们说，冲撞导致港灯轮船的船尾和部分船舷严重受损，并导致内舱进水，加大了船只后部重量，使船只直立并沉没。

The fact that the Hongkong Electric boat sustained significantly more damage wasn't surprising, experts said, given that the boat was smaller than the ferry, which could hold nearly 400 passengers. In addition, the ferry was a catamaran: Such vessels have two hulls for faster sailing speeds and tend to ride higher in the water.

专家说，港灯轮船受损程度远远大于渡轮并不令人意外，毕竟它的体积小于渡轮，而渡轮可容乘客近400名。除此以外，渡轮是一艘双体船，为提高航行速度，这类船只拥有两个船身，浮出水面的船身往往更高。

Catamaran hulls are 'quite sharp, just like a knife,' said Lu Xiangjun, who works for Braemar, a marine-surveying and technical consultancy.

海洋测绘与技术咨询公司Braemar的Lu Xiangjun说，双体船的船身相当尖，就像刀子一样。

Still, Hong Kong remains one of the world's safest maritime hubs, maritime experts say.

但海洋专家说，香港仍是世界上最安全的海港之一。

'It's a one-off incident and should be treated as such,' said Prakash Metaparti, an assistant professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He said the accident was likely a case of human error.

香港理工大学(Hong Kong Polytechnic University)助理教授Prakash Metaparti说，这是一次偶然事故，应当按偶然事故对待。他说这起事故可能是一起人祸。