The Israel Police National Fraud Squad ended its investigation last Tuesday into the collision between the Zim Asia cargo ship and a Japanese fishing boat,some three months ago, in which seven Japanese fishermen were killed.
Thehearing was held last Tuesday at the Tel Aviv District Court.Police recommended at the hearing the indictment of the second officer, a Yugoslav national, of the Zim Asia containership.
It is understood that the second officer will be charged with negligent homicide and violating Port Authority regulationsRegarding the captain, Moshe Ben David, police said they found no conclusive evidence to charge the captain who was asleep when the collision happened, and the crew did not wake him up in keeping with Israel regulations. The police did not suggest charging any other crewmembers.
The accident occurred at 2:00 a.m when the Zim Asia ship hit the Shinsei Maru 3, a Japanese fishing boat, in international waters, near the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido. There was only one survivor in the incident.
The investigation revealed that although there was no physical identification of theJapaneseboat, Zim Asia's radar had identified it prior to the collision. The ship's captain was asleep when the accident took place, and the crew did not wake him up in keeping with regulations.
The investigation revealed that although there was no physical identification of the boat, Zim Asia's radar had identified it prior to the collision.The investigation focused on several questions, including the overall responsibility of Zim for their cargo ships and their operation while at sea, the behavior of the crew before and after the collision, and Ben David's performance as captain of the ship.
