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SYDNEY—The
Sydney Harbor accident that killed six last week is
stirring bad memories for Robert Innes.
In March
2007, 14-year-old Morgan Innes, a junior ice-skating
champion, was one of four people killed in a ferry
collision in the harbor.
The
incident sparked calls for better safety standards that
are increasing after the May 1 fatalities.
“It’s
not about Morgan anymore,” said Robert, her father, who
has campaigned for greater water-safety regulations
since her death.
A police boat monitors
"water activity" in Sydney Harbor, in Sydney, Australia,
in this file photo. The issue of safety and congestion
in Sydney’s iconic harbor is under the spotlight
following last week’s collision of a fishing trawler and
an overcrowded party boat that left four women and a man
dead. -- Bloomberg
“Your
daughter should be safer on Sydney Harbor now than my
daughter was 12 months ago. We should be doing more,” he
added.
The
latest disaster resulted from a fishing trawler’s
early-morning collision with a cruiser in the harbor
near the city’s iconic Opera House, bridge and
multimillion-dollar waterfront properties.
Maritime
officials say stricter boating-license standards are
needed.
A new
boat owner is required to watch a video and take a
40-question written test before joining the 18,000
registered vessels moored or berthed on the harbor.
Luxury
liners, cargo ships and ferries carrying 35,000
passengers a day ply the harbor’s busy lanes,
crisscrossed by sailing yachts, pleasure cruisers,
fishing boats and canoes.
At least
11 people have died in boating accidents on the harbor
in the past 13 months. (Bloomberg) |
