SY Oriental Siren - Sad News

[Worldwide Dive and Sail]

Dear Scubaboarders,

We are very happy to announce that we managed to get all of the passengers home safely within a couple of days. We are also doing our best to contact all guests booked on future trips to make any necessary arrangements. We sincerely thank them for their patience and understanding and are also grateful to all our previous guests and friends who have sent us their best wishes.

The crew, yacht owner John Bethell, and co-owner of Worldwide Dive and Sail, Mark Shandur, returned home the night of the 12th of June. Investigations into the incident which befell the Oriental Siren are continuing. We can now say that we believe the vessel has been lost.

Following interviews with the boat crew and passengers, it appears that bad weather, although a contributing factor, was not the sole cause of what occurred. A thorough review is being conducted by a reputable marine surveyor. We hope to find some answers soon and to be able to share all details of what is discovered. Therefore, we want to refrain from speculating on the defining factors until all the facts are known.

In the meantime, we are heartened to have heard praise from passengers for the professionalism of our crew on the boat and the decisions they had to take to ensure everyone’s safety in a very difficult situation. We too are extremely proud of the crew for their conduct during this emergency and for being able to evacuate the guests safely and calmly.

Best wishes,

Siren Fleet team

 

[maria munn]

Hi everyone,

I mentioned in another post about my concern over the incident of the Mandarin Siren, and had also written a letter to "Undercurrent" about my serious concern whilst leading an underwater photography trip last year on the very same vessel. No reply was received from the company and at the time, I thought that maybe I was the one in the wrong and had been over-reacting.

Whilst leading my trip last January to Raja Ampat, guests were put in the water at "Sardines" a dive site in the middle of the open ocean during a huge thunderstorm, lightening and torrential rain. I politely asked the guide if we could turn back and dive back at Mioskon as I felt that it would be far safer, but my request was ignored, and guests who far older than myself were led to dive in huge waves. I simply couldn't believe it.

We had anchored that previous night at Yenbesar Village, a little village in shelter near to Kri Island. I still don't understand why the decision was made to sail through open water without any shelter to Batanta Island for our last day when such a huge storm had already set in and was not getting any easier. The guide wouldn't listen at the time and we set sail.

It was the longest four hours of my life and I was so scared. I have travelled extensively following my passion to help conservation organisations protect whales and sharks for over 15 years working with top names such as the Nautilus Explorer and Emperor Divers and had never encountered anything like this before.

The Mandarin Siren almost turned over, the tanks were horizontal, rain lashing on the deck, the crew were screaming on the back deck with some of them unable to swim and the guide wouldn't even let them to safety. Rain was lashing over them too and there was water in the engine room I was told too. There was no signal, it was pitch black, no way to contact anyone. All the guide said was "we will be there in half an hour" but that half an hour turned into two hours at least.

Guests were being sick around me, books and the coffee machine was flying around, I got thrown to the other side of the boat, I was grabbing onto DivePhotoGuide's Mr Turtle for dear life as I was doing a report for them.

When we finally arrived to safety at past 9 pm at night, the guide said that the office was aware of our location. Goodness knows how that was when we were in the open sea, apparently maybe the roughest crossing in Raja Ampat - but I am only going on hearsay on this part.

I won't say what the answer was, but there was not much concern as everything was still intact and more concern about the empty spaces that didn't sell on my trip, and like my previous post on the incident on the Mandarin Siren, am scared that there will be a backlash again like before.

It took me over a year to get over this incident, in fact, I still have nightmares about it, so I must be affected by it, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this. I wrote to Undercurrent as I was seriously worried about what happened to the Mandarin Siren may happen again. I even contacted a good friend who I have who works with Tourisim Malaysia as I was concerned that history may repeat itself and that the consequences could be much worse here. I never ever thought that that concern would maybe be true .... again I thought that I was over-reacting as my partner is the crew on the Mandarin Siren (we got together because he saved our lives) ....

So, thank goodness everyone is okay. I know the owners and Susie as I helped get her a job and I know that they are all nice people. BUT, after the incident last year which almost cost me my job in the dive industry, caused me to resign from working with a UK live aboard operator, did cost me my job helping DivePhotoGuide and nearly my life too (as one friend who works for a shark conservation organisation that I have worked with for over 10 years reminded me only a few weeks ago) this MUST never EVER happen again to ANYONE ....

Sincerely,

Maria

Helping underwater photographers take beautiful photos with compact cameras since ......

 

[The Wolf]

Dear Scubaboarders,

We can now say that we believe the vessel has been lost.

Following interviews with the boat crew and passengers, it appears that bad weather, although a contributing factor, was not the sole cause of what occurred. A thorough review is being conducted by a reputable marine surveyor. We hope to find some answers soon and to be able to share all details of what is discovered. Therefore, we want to refrain from speculating on the defining factors until all the facts are known.

In the meantime, we are heartened to have heard praise from passengers for the professionalism of our crew on the boat and the decisions they had to take to ensure everyone’s safety in a very difficult situation. We too are extremely proud of the crew for their conduct during this emergency and for being able to evacuate the guests safely and calmly.

Best wishes,

Siren Fleet team

1) Professionalism? You mean making that decision to head out to sea when you shouldn't have in the first place with the weather being what it was? B

2) Congrats to the crew none the less for evacuating everyone safely but as I stated earlier, you were very very lucky you were as close as you were to Layang-Layang...otherwise, this could have ended differently.

 

[jklassy]

Hi everyone,


It took me over a year to get over this incident, in fact, I still have nightmares about it, so I must be affected by it, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this.

Sincerely,

Maria

Helping underwater photographers take beautiful photos with compact cameras since ......

I can totally relate to what you experienced. We did not have a terrible ocean crossing, but we did go diving in some outrageously dangerous conditions that left people terrified, thankful to be alive, and reluctant to go back in the water. I thought it was just me over-reacting too, but it's been more than a year since my trip and I still have no desire to even consider another liveaboard (something I used to do twice a year, minimum). I've been on boats that have experienced crises, rough crossings, equipment failures, etc, and I've seen how true professionals handle difficult situations. I would not describe what I saw on the Siren boat as "professional." I don't wish to take anything away from the staff. I know they're following orders. Given that there have been multiple incidents on Siren boats over the last couple of years, I would say this is a systemic issue at the company level.

 

[Zippsy]

Both rafts were separated and one reached Layang Layang before the other with some of the survivors pleading for the navy, who were more interested in seeing their passports, to go and find the other boat. By the time the navy started to sail out, the second lot of survivors arrived, nobody was rescued by the navy despite what the press say.

Seriously? Are you saying that people in two separate life rafts managed to navigate and sail their way though something like 10 miles of rough seas to reach Layang Layang by themselves. That is incredibly impressive seamanship but I am having trouble believing this is really what happened.

 

[Searcaigh]

Hi Zippsy,

According to the letter I have a copy of the boats did separate, apparently they returned to the sinking ship to collect some items. As I am not the author of the letter I don't really feel I should be the one publishing it on here, I will leave it to the author to do so, however I am going to quote one sentence that contradicts what is stated by Siren Fleet above.

"The captain, however, was mentally checked out, and never even spoke during all the pandemonium at the site of the sinking ship, much less take charge of the situation."

 

[maria munn]

"it appears that bad weather, although a contributing factor, was not the sole cause of what occurred"

No boat, however well it has navigated in similar conditions previously, should attempt a journey which risks people's lives ... The trauma that those poor passengers must have gone through is unimaginable ....

As has been mentioned above, it should never have left .... no excuses .... guests' safety should be paramount ... and should never be compromised .... this is the true sign of professionalism .....

 

[Zippsy]

Hi Searcaigh, I don't think I was clear enough. I certainly understand that the emergency life rafts separated. In fact, in heavy seas, I would expect that. I could be wrong, but I don't think the life rafts had engines or navigation equipment. How is it possible that they managed to get to Layang Layang, 12nm away in heavy seas, without the help of the Malaysian navy? If that letter really says that the navy did nothing and the life rafts made it to LL by themselves, I doubt it is a real or accurate account.

Also - and again I am only speculating but with some knowledge of the industry - I would guess that the captain is Thai and may speak little English. In an emergency, I can easily believe that he would be actively involved or leading the evacuation and safety procedures without actually saying much if anything directly to the customers. On most liveaboards, the cruise director is usually the primary point of contact with the customers, even in an emergency.

 

[The Wolf]

Hi Searcaigh, I don't think I was clear enough. I certainly understand that the emergency life rafts separated. In fact, in heavy seas, I would expect that. I could be wrong, but I don't think the life rafts had engines or navigation equipment. How is it possible that they managed to get to Layang Layang, 12nm away in heavy seas, without the help of the Malaysian navy? If that letter really says that the navy did nothing and the life rafts made it to LL by themselves, I doubt it is a real or accurate account.

Also - and again I am only speculating but with some knowledge of the industry - I would guess that the captain is Thai and may speak little English. In an emergency, I can easily believe that he would be actively involved or leading the evacuation and safety procedures without actually saying much if anything directly to the customers. On most liveaboards, the cruise director is usually the primary point of contact with the customers, even in an emergency.

12nm is a LONG WAY especially in the dark. I wonder how "near" they really were from Layang Layang.

 

[Zippsy]

The operator's statement said 12nm and I can not think of a reason why they would not be pretty accurate. If they really did make it to shore without assistance as Searcaigh's friend's friend seems to be saying, they would have had to be very, very close - like a few hundred meters at the most.