Coal Carrier Collides with Young Australian Yachter

Jessica Watson, a 16-year-old yachtswoman, was on a preliminary trip for her upcoming effort to be the youngest woman to sail solo around the world, was struck by the M/V SILVER YANG, a Hong Kong registered coal carrier.

The young woman's 34-foot yacht, the Pink Lady, was struck by the cargo ship, which was on autopilot. Watson’s yacht was fitted with an ‘EchoMax’ radar system that is supposed to make the boat much larger on a radar screen.

After striking the boat the cargo ship kept going. Watson's father is calling the incident a ‘hit and run’ and is asking both the Australian and Hong Kong authorities to investigate why the cargo ship continued its transit and turned off its AIS system one hour after the incident. Watson had been in radio contact with the cargo ship before and after the incident but there was a problem communicating due to the language barrier.

The yacht suffered only minor damage. Investigators are to interview the crews and inspect the ship and is asking for backed up data recordings and the log books.