SIEV 36
Five passengers were killed, and many of the survivors were heavily burned; the two patrol boats sailed to the tanker Front Puffin, from where the wounded were heli-lifted to hospitals ashore.
An investigation by the Northern Territory Police concluded in October 2009, finding that one or more of the refugees had spread and ignited the petrol, but charges could not be laid as there was no enough evidence to identify the individuals responsible.
A separate investigation by the Northern Territory Coroner criticised the RAN for not finding the petrol canisters, failing to confiscate ignition sources, and the lack of information provided about the refugee's destination, although praised the actions of several Australian personnel in the aftermath of the explosion.
The coroner found the crew as the cause of the sabotaged engine and the passengers as starting the fire, but was unable to identify individuals because of collusion by those involved to hide the information from the inquiry.
[3] Although sabotage was a risk with SIEVs (in previous incidents, unauthorised arrivals had damaged their vessels or threatened to do so in an attempt to force authorities to take them to Australia), the passengers were allowed to keep cigarette lighters and matches, as removing peoples' ability to smoke would cause unnecessary agitation.
[4] The boarding party searched the vessel, but failed to identify a petrol-fuelled bilge pump and its fuel can, or a spare petrol canister in the bow hold.
[14] Shortly after the explosion, Childers began dropping life rafts and flotation devices into the water, and lowered nets to assist anyone climbing aboard.
[14] However, most of the passengers were unable to swim the short distance to the floats or the patrol boat, and stayed on the burning wreck until one of the Australians began urging them into the water.
[17] Shortly after, the ship was told to divert to Front Puffin, a tanker permanently moored in the Timor Sea as a gas processing platform, where helicopters would relay the wounded to hospitals ashore: cutting a 25-hour voyage down to 4 hours.
[17] The patrol boat reached Front Puffin at 14:14, with the first burn victims lifted aboard the tanker about 20 minutes later, a helicopter bearing eight doctors arriving around sunset.
[18] On 6 May 2009, the Commander Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Mark Evans, AO, DSC, appointed Brigadier Don Higgins, AM, as an Inquiry Officer, pursuant to the provisions of the Defence (Inquiry) Regulations 1985,[19] to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the arrival, apprehension and boarding of SIEV 36, and the response of ADF personnel to the explosion in SIEV 36 (but not the cause or circumstances of the explosion itself).
[10] The Northern Territory Coroner concluded that the Australian personnel failed in their duties on several counts, by not finding and securing the petrol canisters, not confiscating ignition sources, and not informing the passengers of their intended destination.
