XN000022-1991-10-14 — Page 17

MONDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1991

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PRELIMINARY INQUIRY INTO LOSS OF 'MINERAL DIAMOND' COMPLETED

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THE PRELIMINARY

INQUIRY INTO THE LOSS OF THE HONG KONG REGISTERED BULK CARRIER "MINERAL DIAMOND" HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND FINDINGS ARE BEING CONSIDERED BY THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE.

THE

OF 26 WHILST

THE INQUIRY WAS ORDERED BY THE DIRECTOR OF MARINE IN APRIL THIS (1991) YEAR WHEN THE VESSEL DISAPPEARED WITH ALL HER CREW IN THE SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN, SOME 1,200 MILES WEST OF AUSTRALIA, LADEN WITH IRON ORE LOADED AT DAMPIER IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND BOUND FOR IJMUIDEN IN HOLLAND.

THE "MINERAL DIAMOND" WAS A NINE-YEAR OLD SHIP OF SOME 170,000 TONNES DISPLACEMENT. SHE WAS OWNED BY DIAMOND SHIPPING LTD AND MANAGED BY ANGLO-EASTERN SHIP MANAGEMENT OF HONG KONG.

THE SHIP WAS MAKING ROUTINE DAILY POSITIONAL REPORTS TO AUSREP, THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT REPORTING SYSTEM FOR SHIPS WITHIN THEIR SEARCH AND RESCUE AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY.

AT NOON ON APRIL 17 THIS YEAR THE SHIP GAVE A ROUTINE REPORT THAT SHE WAS HEADING INTO A GALE AND WAS STEAMING AT SIX-AND-A-HALF : KNOTS (HALF SPEED) DUE TO THE VERY ROUGH SEAS. SINCE THAT REPORT NOTHING MORE WAS HEARD OF HER.

THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT INITIATED SEARCH AND RESCUE PROCEDURES WITHIN HOURS WHEN SHE FAILED ΤΟ REPORT AS EXPECTED ON APRIL 18.

AN AIR SEARCH WAS COMMENCED ON APRIL 19 BY THE COMBINED FORCES OF THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIRFORCE AND THE UNITED STATES NAVY.

DAY AND NIGHT FLIGHTS WERE FLOWN HAMPERED PARTLY BY THE LACK OF INFORMATION AS TO EXACTLY WHERE SHE DISAPPEARED BUT ALSO BY THE REMOTENESS OF THE AREA FROM LAND.

A TOTAL OF 15 SORTIES WERE FLOWN TOTALLING MORE THAN FIVE DAYS FLYING TIME DURING THE COURSE OF WHICH A SEARCH AREA OF 6,400 SQUARE NAUTICAL MILES WAS COVERED. NOTHING WAS EVER SIGHTED THAT WAS PRESUMED TO HAVE COME FROM THE SHIP.

DURING THE COURSE OF THE SEARCH, ONE OF THE AUSTRALIAN AIRFORCE PLANES CRASHED SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF FROM COCOS ISLANDS KILLING THE PILOT,

SOME 21 BULK CARRIERS OF WHICH EIGHT VESSELS WERE OVER 100,000 TONNES DEADWEIGHT HAVE BEEN LOST SINCE JANUARY LAST (1990) YEAR, SOME IN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES AND IN BAD WEATHER IN THIS REMOTE PART OF THE SOUTH INDIAN OCEAN.

/CONSEQUENTLY THE