Vessel runs into trouble
NEWS of the inter-island trader Ai Sokula running aground in Buca Bay in 1979 made headlines in The Fiji Times.
According to a report published on Thursday, April 11, 1979, boat captain Viliame Baleikasavu said the boat ran aground while navigating through Karoko Passage at night without a searchlight.
Captain Baleikasavu agreed, under questioning by Crown solicitor Geoffrey Grimmett on April 10, it was dangerous to proceed in the dark.
He also told a marine court of investigation in Suva that he did not reduce speed before entering the passage and the ship was travelling at eight knots before she ran aground on April 3.
Mr Grimmett suggested under the Marine Board Act it was wrong to sail with only one certified officer on board – the chief mate having been left ashore on Rabi.
Capt Baleikasavu said he had sailed the area day and night and knew it well.
When questioned about a log book from which pages were missing, Capt Baleikasavu said he wrote his report on the grounding in the Master’s Deck Log Book minutes after the incident.
The book was always kept in the wheelhouse.
According to the report, he had copied the report from the Master’s log book to the official log book two days after the vessel arrived at port.
He agreed his entries in the official log book were not witnessed by the mate.
He said other pages torn from the book had reports of his conversation with Mr Wong Singh about matters relating to the reporting of the grounding to the Marine Department.
This newspaper reported the chief mate, Buren Randolph, told the court he was authorised by the captain to get off at Rabi to arrange for their cargo.
Mr Randolph said he did not know of the grounding until the ship arrived in Suva when a crew member told him she had run on a patch.
The article highlighted Mr Randolph could not find the log book in the wheelhouse.
However, the book was found in the wheelhouse a day later when Randolph and quarter master Aseri Voli both searched.
The marine court was to deliver a decision the following morning.