The Coroner’s Court on Wednesday ruled that 39 people who died in one of Hong Kong’s worst maritime disasters were unlawfully killed.

The inquest into the 2012 Lamma ferry collision was held from May to September last year, with 84 witnesses taking the stand to give evidence.

The Lamma IV, which had more than 120 passengers on board for the National Day fireworks display, collided with the Sea Smooth catamaran off Lamma on October 1, 2012.

The Sea Smooth remained afloat and continued its journey, but the Lamma IV sank within minutes.

Coroner Monica Chow said the collision happened because of gross negligence by the coxswains from each vessel, who were later jailed over the crash.

"I find each of the 39 deceased was killed unlawfully," Chow said.

Among the major points of contention during the 44-day inquiry was the underlying reasons for the absence of a watertight door between the compartments, which was believed to have reduced the ferry’s ability to stay afloat when damaged.

Ken Lo, a director of Cheoy Lee Shipyards, which built Lamma IV, had told the court that the watertight door had been intentionally left out as part of the design.

But lawyers of some other parties in the hearing, including relatives of the deceased, had alleged that Lo tried to cover up the company’s mistake.

In her verdict, the coroner ruled that the door’s omission was a “conscious” choice rather than an oversight as she took into account the understanding and application of two separate benchmarks – the “one-compartment flooding standard” and the “0.1L rule”.

The former means a vessel is built with watertight bulkheads so that it remains afloat if any single compartment floods, while the latter is a calculation requirement regarding the ship’s stability.

“I find that the omission of a watertight door at the bulkhead reflected a rational design decision,” Chow said.

“The fact that the 2012 collision resulted in flooding of more than one compartment does not justify a retrospective re-assessment of that decision, by reference to a standard that was not required at the relevant time.”

Chow also found the company’s director gave his evidence in a straightforward manner and “did not attempt to embellish his account”, while not becoming defensive or trying to justify himself when questioned.

Alice Leung, who lost her brother in the tragedy, said after the hearing that she was “extremely disappointed”.

“We called for an inquest to understand who’s responsible for the disappearance of the watertight door,” Leung said.

“Even the expert report said if there was a watertight door, the ferry wouldn’t have sunk in such a short time and that there would be ships returning to save those people. And now, after 13 years, we are told that that door wasn’t important, I believe everyone finds it mind-boggling.”

The oral verdict continues on Thursday.

In a statement, the government said it attaches great importance to the case, and that a number of investigations had been conducted into the incident.

It said the Marine Department has implemented all practicable recommendations in the investigation reports to enhance maritime safety.
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Last updated: 2026-01-21 HKT 23:25