Mark Micallef
Simshar survivor to be probed
The inquiry into the Simshar tragedy is focusing on the sole survivor, Simon Bugeja, after investigations revealed discrepancies between his story and other evidence connected with the facts of the case, The Sunday Times has learnt.
Sources close to the inquiry said a number of questions had been raised in relation to Mr Bugeja's version of events.
Five people died during the ill-fated fishing trip last July, including Mr Bugeja's 11-year-old son Theo, his 61-year-old father Carmelo, Noel Carabott, 33, and Somali national Abdulrahman Abdala Gedi, 21.
Last week, Magistrate Joseph Apap Bologna was scheduled to interview Mr Bugeja for the second time since the inquiry began some six months ago. However, the fisherman asked for legal assistance from his lawyer, Robert Abela, and the questioning was postponed.
Dr Abela has now filed a request to be able to assist his client - which is not an automatic right under Maltese law - and the courts are expected to determine this application in the coming weeks.
Mr Bugeja's interviews had been put off for some weeks because of the psychological treatment he was receiving for trauma.
The fisherman, who owned the Simshar, had said he hung on to a makeshift raft for eight days before being spotted by a rescue party made up of fishermen. His son was with him throughout but slipped from his grasp just hours before the rescue. The boy's body was never found.
The tragedy - the worst fishing disaster in recent decades which had sent the village of Marsaxlokk into mourning - had sparked numerous conspiracy theories as to what could have happened.
Mr Bugeja had told rescuers that his vessel had sunk following an explosion on July 11, four days after it had set sail from Marsaxlokk. He was not able to explain what had caused the blast, however, fuelling rumours that the group could have been attacked by Sicilian fishermen or that they were carrying explosives to use for fishing.
Mr Bugeja never addressed these issues in public, referring to the ongoing inquiries. And although Fisheries Cooperative president Ray Bugeja, who is a distant relative, had confirmed that there had been a heated exchange between the Simshar crew and Sicilian fishermen weeks before the tragedy, he dismissed the theory of an attack.
Ray Bugeja had also said that although the Simshar was probably fishing illegally, there were no explosives on board.
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A. Brincat
Feb 10th 2009, 23:15
Sur Daniel Falzon,
lispekulazjonijiet qed issieru ax m'hemxx qbiel bejn l-istejjer rakontati mil vitma. Possibli ma tighd xejn bejnek u bejn ruhek meta il vitma l-ewwel qall li kellu il lanca armata bl-ahhar tecknologija u kienet "upgraded", umbaghad naqra wara qall li hu u ibnu kienu qed iz zommu ma bicca "Polystyrene".
Jekk il lanca kienet armat bl-ahhar teknologija u "upgraded", ghaliex il vitma u l-"crew" ma kienux libsien il "Life Jacket", u ghaliex ma kienux fliemkien gol "Life Boat"!
dawn huma il punti tieghi aliex hemm xi haga mux f'posta dwar it tragedja.
Joseph Sammut
Feb 10th 2009, 16:26
@ Mr. Lia:
The primary reason why the truth would have to be known is that 4 people died and then becuase of any other reason, for heaven's sake!
DENNIS AGIUS
Feb 10th 2009, 13:53
If Mr Bugeja was telling all the truth, why now he is asking for legal aid during the next interview with the magistrate? is there any fishy smelling? if thing happened that way as been said you can be interviewed hundreds of times and telling the same old story. but if not???????????????????
carmel lia
Feb 10th 2009, 13:46
yes the whole truth has to come out , because there were people who were insulted. the menbers of the armed forces especially of the rescue co -ordination centre were insulted.
D.Galea
Feb 10th 2009, 10:06
@Chris Borg
Yes if he had an interest of the same importance to hide fact which could shed a completely different light on the whole story, no matter how improbable, if the complete truth has still to come out, then everyone has the right to keep asking questions...It's only disrepectful of you not to accept such fact, and insult people for it.
Alfred Cassar
Feb 9th 2009, 20:58
This story doesn't convince me ...... too much questions left unanswered.
D. Cauchi
Feb 9th 2009, 20:34
fish don't lay eggs in decaying meat, or in live meat for that matter. Do your research.
Chris Borg
Feb 9th 2009, 17:40
What an imagination you all have. Shame on you disrespectful idiots. The man witnessed his father and son die infront of him, not to mention 2 employees, he was dying of thirst, hunger and sunburn with fish laying eggs in the dead meat of his decaying legs. Do you really believe he had the strenght to invent lies?
George Bugeja
Feb 9th 2009, 12:40
Using a different size hook could be "illegal fishing". I believe the Simshar caught fire and sank and nothing else sinister.
Tony Bullimore carried four EPIRBs, (knew he was risking it), Steve Fosset carried none which were activated. An accident.
Daniel Falzon
Feb 9th 2009, 10:56
Mhux ahjar flok toqodu tispekulaw thallu lil dan ir ragel bil kwiet!!! Kelllu bzonn xi hadt jitlef lil missieru u lil ibnu u sejjer ma jghidx il verita! COME ON GET A LIFE.
g.c.Forte
Feb 9th 2009, 10:32
God created the Maltese people as the most intelligent creatures ,not just in the world that we are living in,but the whole universe. Do you all know that the investigations are still going on, and it is not fair for the people concern, and not healthy for those who doing these investigations.So please show some respect, and do not even try to point out your finger to anybody because there will be three pointing to you.
John Pisani
Feb 9th 2009, 09:12
I wanted to interview Simon Bugeja but I was not allowed. Still if you check my blog (below URLs) I did ask some questions. Check out all the discrepancies. Yes not only Simon Bugeja 's version is questionable but also people in the Ministry are hiding the truth.
http://johnpisani.wordpress.com/2008/08/11/it-tragedja-simshar/ and http://johnpisani.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/it-tragedja-simshar-2/
EDWARD SEYCHELL
Feb 8th 2009, 20:08
WHEN YOU SMELL, SOMETHING NOT NORMAL IN THE ENGINE ROOM,AS THE CAPTAIN OF THE BOAT YOU RUSH TO INVESTIGATE.IF AN EXPLOSION OCCURES THE CAPTAIN IS THE FIRST ONE TO DIE.
Andrew Brincat
Feb 8th 2009, 19:48
Totally aggree with Edward Zammit
in addition to Edward Zammit's comment I would like to add
where were the Life jackets ?!!
where was the water filter which makes sea water drinkable?!!
what happend to the pre packed food ( the one similar used in the military)?!!
if i recall correctly it was said that they had spent some minutes on the boat before jumping into the sea for saftey. so they had enough time to launch their safty boats and fetch their emergency equipment.
sry but there's somthig fishy with this story
Joanne Micallef
Feb 8th 2009, 19:39
What about what Mrs Carabott had said when interviewed, remember she said that Mrs Bugeja refused to inform the AFM about the Simshar not returning in case it was a false alarm as she was afraid that they risked loosing the fishing boat. Now unless the AFM if they are called out on a false alarm they actually confiscate the boat I can only presume that something on the Simshar was not right.
V Battistino
Feb 8th 2009, 18:55
If I recall well, on the 'Bondiplus' edition about the tragedy, the Secretary of the Fisheries Cooperative had also requested the Commander of the AFM to ".......remove his uniform ....." .....we never heard of this man again !
Emmanuel Ebejer
Feb 8th 2009, 18:12
And some people had the cheek to call the AFM incompetent and insult the Commander AFM. As they say....the truth is out there!
lgalea
Feb 8th 2009, 17:48
Edward Zammit and all boaters please note:
VERY IMPORTANT
Distress Beacons at 121.5 and 243 MHz Phased Out (Feb 2, 2009 [REVISED Feb 3, 2009 08:30 ET]) -- As of February 1, the Cospas-Sarsat (Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking) satellites are no longer monitoring distress beacons at 121.5 and 243 MHz. All mariners, aviators and individuals who use emergency beacons on those frequencies will need to switch to the newer, digital 406 MHz frequency if they want to be detected by the monitoring satellites. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) claims that in 2008, beacons monitored by the Cospas-Sarsat worldwide system were responsible for almost 300 lives saved, including 203 people rescued in 65 in at-sea incidents and 12 people rescued in 7 aviation incidents.
Have a look at http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2009/02/02/10606/?nc=1 for further details and further links.
Edward Zammit
Feb 8th 2009, 17:28
There is quite a smelly coincidence in the story.
Firstly it was a new boat not more than two years old, with all the latest safety and survival equipment. The first thing to come in mind is the E.P.I.R.B. (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) which even with the smallest of shocks like falling off its clamp will start transmitting. Where was the distress signal ?
The life raft which is supposed to inflate automatically when in hard contact with water. Why did it not inflate ?
The flotsam which occurs after an explosion. How come none was found ?
How come Mr. Bugeja was found clinging to another boat's float (sufrun) and not one of his ?
How come the boat's "black box" was never found when supposedly even under 400 meters of depth it's supposed to transmit its location, was never found or heard of ?
How come the boy's corpse was never found ?
Eric Gahn
Feb 8th 2009, 15:42
This case apart, why is a citizen not automatically allowed to have a lawyer if he so wishes and/or needs to?
J Oatmon
Feb 8th 2009, 13:58
There was always something 'fishy' about the story given by the sole survivor Simon Bugeja - it just did not make sense.
I am still wondering about a possible tie in with the 'illegal immigrants' situation, or maybe smuggling, because the story given is obviously false, so what is being hidden behind the lies?
Thomas Grima
Feb 8th 2009, 13:32
This story stinks. I hope that ALL the truth will be known.
It was very rude to go on TV and put the blame on the Armed Forces and try to ridicule the AFM Commander.