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| Decisions by Captain in Yangtze Ship Disaster Come Under Scrutiny | Decisions by Captain in Yangtze Ship Disaster Come Under Scrutiny |
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| HONG KONG — Up ahead, a violent lightning storm lit up the dark sky and rain pounded ships on the Yangtze River. At 5 p.m. on Monday, the local maritime bureau sent a notice intended for all vessels, warning them to expect heavy rain and thunderstorms for the next six hours. | HONG KONG — Up ahead, a violent lightning storm lit up the dark sky and rain pounded ships on the Yangtze River. At 5 p.m. on Monday, the local maritime bureau sent a notice intended for all vessels, warning them to expect heavy rain and thunderstorms for the next six hours. |
| At least two vessels, a cruise ship and a ship that transported cars, stopped their upstream journeys, dropping their anchors into the shallow, muddy water. | At least two vessels, a cruise ship and a ship that transported cars, stopped their upstream journeys, dropping their anchors into the shallow, muddy water. |
| But the Oriental Star sailed on. Time-stamped video footage captured by a camera on another vessel shows the cruise ship — with four tiers of brightly lit cabins — heading into the darkness and driving rain about 33 minutes before it capsized. Two days later, only 14 people among the 456 aboard have been found alive. | But the Oriental Star sailed on. Time-stamped video footage captured by a camera on another vessel shows the cruise ship — with four tiers of brightly lit cabins — heading into the darkness and driving rain about 33 minutes before it capsized. Two days later, only 14 people among the 456 aboard have been found alive. |
| The decision to sail into what clearly seemed to be a severe storm was one of several made by the ship’s captain, Zhang Shunwen, that came under scrutiny on Wednesday as hopes faded for finding additional survivors of China’s worst passenger ship disaster in decades. | |
| The government has detained Mr. Zhang but said nothing about how he had escaped the ship alive or whether he had radioed for help, warned passengers to don life vests or ordered an evacuation. | The government has detained Mr. Zhang but said nothing about how he had escaped the ship alive or whether he had radioed for help, warned passengers to don life vests or ordered an evacuation. |
| As Chinese officials provided little new information about the cause of Monday’s accident, saying that a rare tornado had overwhelmed the cruise ship, questions also emerged about the seaworthiness and safety record of the Oriental Star. | As Chinese officials provided little new information about the cause of Monday’s accident, saying that a rare tornado had overwhelmed the cruise ship, questions also emerged about the seaworthiness and safety record of the Oriental Star. |
| In an interview, Yan Zhiguo, a director of the company that owns the ship, acknowledged that the hull of the Oriental Star was modified in 1997, an adjustment that could have altered its center of gravity and made it more susceptible to tilting over. And a former member of the ship’s crew said that its furniture was not bolted down, allowing weight on the ship to shift more easily in rough waters and making it more vulnerable to capsizing. | In an interview, Yan Zhiguo, a director of the company that owns the ship, acknowledged that the hull of the Oriental Star was modified in 1997, an adjustment that could have altered its center of gravity and made it more susceptible to tilting over. And a former member of the ship’s crew said that its furniture was not bolted down, allowing weight on the ship to shift more easily in rough waters and making it more vulnerable to capsizing. |
| The Oriental Star was one of six vessels cited in 2013 for unspecified violations as part of an effort to improve the safety of ships on the Yangtze River, according to a document on the website of the Jiangsu Maritime Safety Administration. | The Oriental Star was one of six vessels cited in 2013 for unspecified violations as part of an effort to improve the safety of ships on the Yangtze River, according to a document on the website of the Jiangsu Maritime Safety Administration. |
| It is not clear if the government’s storm alert made it to the Oriental Star, and Chinese regulations are vague about whether ships must anchor or pull into a port when warned of dangerous weather. Captains are granted broad authority over their vessels in China, as elsewhere in the world. Still, some interviewed said that Mr. Zhang should have heeded the weather warning and stopped his ship. | It is not clear if the government’s storm alert made it to the Oriental Star, and Chinese regulations are vague about whether ships must anchor or pull into a port when warned of dangerous weather. Captains are granted broad authority over their vessels in China, as elsewhere in the world. Still, some interviewed said that Mr. Zhang should have heeded the weather warning and stopped his ship. |
| “Under very low visibility due to a strong rainstorm, captains should stop the boat,” said Cai Cunqiang, a professor at the Shanghai Maritime University Merchant Marine College and a former merchant marine captain. “Captains who have been alerted will stop when there are strong rainstorms. But it is not clearly stated in law that captains must stop.” | “Under very low visibility due to a strong rainstorm, captains should stop the boat,” said Cai Cunqiang, a professor at the Shanghai Maritime University Merchant Marine College and a former merchant marine captain. “Captains who have been alerted will stop when there are strong rainstorms. But it is not clearly stated in law that captains must stop.” |
| “It’s safer to anchor than to keep moving,” he added. | “It’s safer to anchor than to keep moving,” he added. |
| Other ships did stop, and they made it through the storm. One cruise ship, the Yangtze Sightseer No. 6, which the Oriental Star had trailed for days, anchored around 9:10 that night, about six miles ahead of the scene of the disaster, according to a satellite tracking system overseen by the Ministry of Transport and a passenger reached by telephone. | |
| The passenger, who asked to be identified by only his surname, Liao, said the Sightseer had encountered “strong winds, heavy rain and thunder and lightning” before anchoring. “A lot of water was blown inside,” he said. “On the second floor, our attendants were all trying to scoop the water out.” | The passenger, who asked to be identified by only his surname, Liao, said the Sightseer had encountered “strong winds, heavy rain and thunder and lightning” before anchoring. “A lot of water was blown inside,” he said. “On the second floor, our attendants were all trying to scoop the water out.” |
| The captain of another ship, the Changhang Jiangning, a large cargo vessel that transports automobiles, chose to drop anchor and wait out the storm just as it was being overtaken by the Oriental Star, according to a state newspaper, The Chutian Metropolis Daily. | The captain of another ship, the Changhang Jiangning, a large cargo vessel that transports automobiles, chose to drop anchor and wait out the storm just as it was being overtaken by the Oriental Star, according to a state newspaper, The Chutian Metropolis Daily. |
| The satellite tracking data shows the vessel stopping at 9:19 p.m. and holding that position for about an hour. When it stopped, according to the data, the Oriental Star was less than 200 yards away. | |
| Minutes later, the cruise ship changed direction, moving downstream instead of upstream, apparently after being hit by what the authorities say was a tornado. The last signal from the Oriental Star was recorded at 9:31 p.m. | Minutes later, the cruise ship changed direction, moving downstream instead of upstream, apparently after being hit by what the authorities say was a tornado. The last signal from the Oriental Star was recorded at 9:31 p.m. |
| “The captain alone has the absolute authority to decide how to deal with emergencies,” said Xue Yingchun, a ship captain who started his own shipping company. “In inland navigation, you can drop the anchor any time you want since the water is normally not too deep.” | “The captain alone has the absolute authority to decide how to deal with emergencies,” said Xue Yingchun, a ship captain who started his own shipping company. “In inland navigation, you can drop the anchor any time you want since the water is normally not too deep.” |
| Stephen Richter, a ship’s pilot and marine consultant in Philadelphia, said that anchoring makes sense in situations of low visibility and heavy rain, which reduces the usefulness of a ship’s radar. “If the weather was that extreme, then visibility becomes an issue, then probably the safest thing to do is to anchor,” he said. | Stephen Richter, a ship’s pilot and marine consultant in Philadelphia, said that anchoring makes sense in situations of low visibility and heavy rain, which reduces the usefulness of a ship’s radar. “If the weather was that extreme, then visibility becomes an issue, then probably the safest thing to do is to anchor,” he said. |
| But Mr. Richter said that anchoring would not help a ship if it was struck by a tornado, and that if visibility was good, it might make more sense to stay underway, retain maneuverability and ride out the storm. | But Mr. Richter said that anchoring would not help a ship if it was struck by a tornado, and that if visibility was good, it might make more sense to stay underway, retain maneuverability and ride out the storm. |
| He said it would have been easy for the Oriental Star to become unstable because only a small portion of it sat underwater. Any modifications to the vessel, he added, would have made it more vulnerable. | |
| “If this vessel was light on fuel, and if this vessel ever had any adaptations made to it, it would remove a certain margin for error they had in maintaining stability,” he said. “It did not have to lean over very far before water started coming in.” | “If this vessel was light on fuel, and if this vessel ever had any adaptations made to it, it would remove a certain margin for error they had in maintaining stability,” he said. “It did not have to lean over very far before water started coming in.” |
| Zhong Shoudao, the president of the Chongqing Boat Design Institute, said at a government news conference that, as a riverboat, the Oriental Star had less wind and wave resistance than an oceangoing vessel. “In a special situation like a tornado, with great pressure on one side of a boat that exceeds the standard that the boat was built to, it will capsize,” he said. | Zhong Shoudao, the president of the Chongqing Boat Design Institute, said at a government news conference that, as a riverboat, the Oriental Star had less wind and wave resistance than an oceangoing vessel. “In a special situation like a tornado, with great pressure on one side of a boat that exceeds the standard that the boat was built to, it will capsize,” he said. |
| Colleagues described Mr. Zhang, the Oriental Star’s captain, as an experienced and responsible seaman, saying he had sailed the Yangtze for more than 30 years. A poster at the Chongqing Oriental Ferry Company’s headquarters pictured him as one of the company’s 10 outstanding employees of 2014. | |
| But the former crew member said safety was played down on the Oriental Star when she served as a tour guide on the ship in 2010. | But the former crew member said safety was played down on the Oriental Star when she served as a tour guide on the ship in 2010. |
| “Before the ship set out, the senior tour guide spent an afternoon teaching us, the new guys, about the safety instructions,” said the woman, who declined to be identified out of fear of retribution. “Actually, we were not taught how to deal with emergencies at all, but only things like: ‘Grannies should sit tight. Don’t injure yourself on board. Don’t fall into the water.’ ” | |
| Mr. Zhang was rescued downstream several hours after his ship capsized and has been held by the authorities since. Calls to his cellphone were answered by a message that the phone was off. | Mr. Zhang was rescued downstream several hours after his ship capsized and has been held by the authorities since. Calls to his cellphone were answered by a message that the phone was off. |
| Reached by phone, the captain of one of the Oriental Star’s sister ships, the Oriental Prince, who gave only his surname, Chen, said that the company’s ships are equipped with 20 percent more life jackets than there are passengers and crew members onboard and that passengers receive a safety briefing when they come aboard. | |
| “We have meetings on safety issues every month,” he said. | “We have meetings on safety issues every month,” he said. |