MV Alam Pintar and FV Etoile des Ondes collision

Safety recommendations were made but under maritime law national governments have no authority over foreign-flagged vessels more than 12 nautical miles (22 km) from their coasts.

FV Etoile des Ondes was a UK-flagged fishing vessel (WH 696) registered in Weymouth, Dorset that had been built by Rolland shipyard, Plougasnou in 1957.

[5][6] On the evening of 20 December 2009, Alam Pintar, on passage from Quebec to Hamburg, was between Les Casquets, France and the Traffic Separation Scheme of the Strait of Dover.

[8] Alam Pintar's officer of the watch (OOW) first saw Etoile 3 to 4 nautical miles (5.6–7.4 km) ahead and altered course to avoid the fishing vessel but the latter changed course to cast her pots.

[9] Alam Pintar turned hard to starboard but this did not avoid a collision which took place at 18:51 GMT at 49°58′N 001°54′W / 49.967°N 1.900°W / 49.967; -1.900, 15 nautical miles (28 km) north of the Cherbourg peninsula.

[9] In the dark, three of Etoiles' crew were able to inflate and board their liferaft but the fourth member, Chris Wadsworth, was missing and, despite circling around, the survivors never saw him again.

[11] The survivors triggered the EPIRB and fired distress flares which were observed by at least three other vessels that reported the sighting to Jobourg Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre, the nearest coastal authority.

Jobourg radio station took charge of the search and rescue and transmitted three "mayday relay" messages to which none of the three closest vessels responded.

However, once he had reason to believe that Etoile des Ondes and her crew were not safe, his action in ignoring the mayday relay and continuing on passage was illegal, immoral and against all the traditions of the sea.

"[17] The MAIB, RNLI and other bodies took several actions by way of warning vessel owners, masters and skippers of the accident, the dangers, the importance of keeping good watch and abiding by international law.

Even at the height of war, civilised combatants went to great lengths to save the lives of sailors from enemy vessels they had sunk.

[25] The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore conducted a marine safety investigation which found that the OOW had not ensured the bridge was properly manned and had not taken sufficient action to avoid the collision.

The ship's operators, Malaysian Bulk Carriers, said two crew members had been suspended pending the findings of the Singapore enquiry—Chris Wadsworth's family's claim for compensation would be met in full.