Seaman who cannot swim?
A SEAMAN who survived the sinking of one of the country’s three cargo ships has confessed he can hardly swim.
A SEAMAN who survived the sinking of one of the country’s three cargo ships has confessed he can hardly swim.
George Saka, a cook on the ill-fated Kabalega, said that he was never trained to swim. Unbelievable. This is akin to an army sergeant not knowing how to shoot, or the navigator on a motor rally crew not possessing a driving permit.
It is ethical and standard practice that in emergencies on sea vessels, the crew helps out any other non-crew on board by getting them to safety, whichever way. It could be by herding them to the safest point on board, or leading them to safety boats, or even swimming with them to the safety of land or other vessels.
That crewman was not equipped for a crucial part of his job. This is symptomatic of the ills in the Uganda Railways Corporation, owners of the vessels that collided at such colossal cost to the country. The commission of inquiry must establish how such basic imperatives were neglected. Addressing the broader strategic perspective of the corporation could be futile if basics are not cared for day by day.
George Saka, a cook on the ill-fated Kabalega, said that he was never trained to swim. Unbelievable. This is akin to an army sergeant not knowing how to shoot, or the navigator on a motor rally crew not possessing a driving permit.
It is ethical and standard practice that in emergencies on sea vessels, the crew helps out any other non-crew on board by getting them to safety, whichever way. It could be by herding them to the safest point on board, or leading them to safety boats, or even swimming with them to the safety of land or other vessels.
That crewman was not equipped for a crucial part of his job. This is symptomatic of the ills in the Uganda Railways Corporation, owners of the vessels that collided at such colossal cost to the country. The commission of inquiry must establish how such basic imperatives were neglected. Addressing the broader strategic perspective of the corporation could be futile if basics are not cared for day by day.