SEA CASUALTIES

Dominion, Volume 29, Issue 221, 15 June 1936, Page 10

SEA CASUALTIES

The Holding of Official Inquiries

BOARD OF TRADE PRACTICE

An interesting communication lately received in Wellington by a wellknown master mariner discusses the question of inquiries into marine casualties, and sets out the general principles observed by the Board of Trade in respect to the holding of such investigations. A prominent official of the Board of Trade writes as follows :—

“Our practice in ordering formal inquiries is not to issue such an order automatic-alb- in every case of total loss or serious casualty, but to consider each case on its merits.

“The guiding principles are two: (J) Whether a formal inquiry will elicit information which we have not been able to obtain as the result of a preliminary inquiry by our own officers; and, (2) whether the light which might be expected to ne thrown upon the casualty by a formal inquiry would be useful in preventing further casualties of the same kind in the future.

“These are merely general guiding principles. Particular circumstances may lead us to order inquiries where neither of these general principles can be said definitely to be involved. “For example, a state of public anxiety about the safety of ships generally might well lead to the ordering of inquiries which in a state of tranquillity would not be ordered. “Similarly, a suspicion that things in a particular direction were not as satisfactory as they ought to be might have the same result. “As an example, we have been recently ordering inquiries into strandings and collisions of trawlers with great freedom, because there is evidence of extremely careless navigation by trawler skippers. The result lias, I think, been some improvement. . . . “So far as captains or other officers of ships are concerned, we order inquiries into casualties wherever we think that tlie casualty was tlie' fault of'any officer, and where Wie default was so serious that he must be punished by suspension or cancellation of his certificate. 'To that extent it might be possible to say (hat the inquiries resolve themselves into prosecutions rather than investigations. “Nevertheless, the primary policy underlying our action in regard to formal investigations is to prevent similar accidents in the future: we want, in general, guidance whicli will help ourselves, or owners, or masters, or‘ officers generally, in carrying out Hie general duty to secure safety at sea.”