Fatal asylum seeker sinkings: agencies urged to improve rescue co-ordination
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Version 0 of 1. Australian Customs and Border Protection (CBP) services and related rescue agencies need to improve interagency co-ordination of rescues of asylum seekers in distress, internal reviews into three fatal boat sinkings have said. The reviews recommended a reassessment of rescue policy around lifejackets which led to customs personnel deciding not to give any to passengers on a boat shortly before it sank, killing four people. The internal reviews released late on Friday afternoon assessed the actions of CBP, border protection command (BPC) and related Defence assets during three incidents at sea in June and July of this year. The reviews did not find inappropriate actions during rescues but made 15 recommendations in total, “all of which are currently being implemented,” a spokesman for customs told Guardian Australia. In July four people died when the boat they were traveling on capsized while it was being escorted to Christmas Island by Navy boats HMAS Albany and HMAS Warramunga approximately 130 kilometres off the coast. In relation to the incident, the 59-page report made just one recommendation: that the joint agencies review the policy around the provision of lifejackets to people “onboard vessels in distress situations where it is not possible to board the vessel and assist in the correct fitting of lifejackets”. The report agreed it was not safe for customs personnel to board the particular vessel while it was under escort due to the vessel’s shape and the dangerously rough seas. It noted a report from rescue agencies to BCP at the time which said the boat may be in potential distress due to insufficient lifejackets and space for all people on board. However the review found that despite the Albany’s commanding officer considering the need for provision of lifejackets to to the vessel, he elected not to, “based on his professional judgments”, adding it may not have been “physically possible” to hand over lifejackets before the boat capsized, particularly given the weather conditions. The review noted that the four people who died were not wearing lifejackets. “However, the review is not the appropriate authority to draw any conclusions as to whether the earlier provision of lifejackets would have prevented this loss of life,” it read. The report also noted CBP’s ability to recreate a full timeline of events was “constrained” by not having access to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s documentation, because Amsa “did not support the creation of new documentation which touched on AMSA’s statutory duties”. When a boat sank north-west of Christmas Island on 5 June and about 55 people died, only 13 bodies were located and none were retrieved from the water. Refugee advocates criticised the amount of time that elapsed between spotting the boat and sending vessels to intercept it after the deaths were revealed. While the review found the initial response in tasking the navy vessel and later escalating the response was “appropriate”, it made recommendations relating to inter-agency communication. The internal review recommended the agencies “seek to deliver a more integrated and seamless interface” between maritime security operations and search and rescue, as well as improving communication between organisations. Up to seven different systems were used to communicate between agencies and information was misinterpreted or reinterpreted incorrectly on numerous occasions. The review also recommended considering a permanent liaison officer or exchange program so the different agencies – BCP, Amsa and RCC – have a better understanding of how they each work. A third and final review released on Friday examined the incident on 13 July which saw the death of a baby boy and eight people go missing. During the incident, customs vessels were on the scene and personnel had boarded the asylum seekers’ vessel when it was swamped by two large waves and capsized. The review praised the actions of the boarding party and personnel aboard the customs vessel Triton, noting the provision of lifejackets to passengers, as well as the recovery of passengers by Triton and others, “most likely minimised the loss of life that could have otherwise occurred”. The review again recommended improvements in inter-agency coordination, suggesting in the meantime they film and record operations “to ensure the arrangements are optimised”. In a statement the immigration and border protection minister, Scott Morrison, said all recommendations would be implemented and noted that “importantly, the matters identified did not materially impact on the outcome of each maritime incident”. “Overall, the internal reviews found a strong level of co-operation between agencies in the execution of the search and rescue operations,” he said. “These reports chronicle extraordinary acts of bravery by Customs and Border Protection and Royal Australian Navy officers under extreme conditions. They are all to be commended for their service and I express my sincere appreciation for their selfless and professional efforts.” Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. |