Sydney: Missing VDR recordings have added to the mystery surrounding the ‘death ship’ as the Japanese controlled Sage Sagittarius has become known in Australia.
With an inquiry resuming today into the deaths of two seafarers and a supervisor, all within in the space of six weeks in 2012, the court started interviewing executives from the ship’s manager, Hachiuma Steamship, a subsidiary of Nippon Yusen Kaisha (NYK).
Hachiuma’s general manager Kazuhiro Hayashi, speaking via video link from Tokyo, said the company had been unable to find any VDR on the days when two seafarers died.
Coroner Sharon Freund has requested Hachiuma to supply all emails, reports and documents relating to the company’s crisis meetings following the deaths, along with relevant VDR recordings.
Two Filipino seamen, chief cook Cesar Llanto and chief engineer Hector Collado, died on the Sage Sagittarius in August and September 2012 as the Panama-flagged vessel was en route to Australia.
Then a Japanese superintendent, Kosaku Monji, was crushed to death on a conveyor belt when the ship was docked in southern Japan on October 6, 2012.
The inquest continues.
VDR is audio recording on the bridge only. Unless being saved, like during an incident, recordings are automatically deleted after 24 hours.