Another boat tragedy in PNG as search ends for Vanuatu ferry disaster

A new boat tragedy in Papua New Guinea has left one person dead and four missing, just two months after 27 people died in a separate disaster in the same waters.

The latest incident happened last weekend when a banana boat carrying 14 passengers capsized near Pigeon Island while travelling from Kokopo to the Duke of York Islands.

Nine people have been rescued and one body, believed to be that of the boat operator, has been recovered. The four people still missing are all men.

East New Britain Provincial Police Commander Chief Superintendent Amanda Kates says the search has now been extended into West New Britain waters with commercial vessels travelling between the provinces asked to watch for the missing passengers.

The boat was reportedly carrying 14 passengers along with trade store goods and market produce.

Local authorities said the vessel was overloaded while weather conditions in the area were deteriorating.

The search for people missing after the inter-island ferry MV Matui sank between Santo and Ambae has ended, with 39 people believed to have died. Photo/Facebook/Tui's Shipping

The accident happened close to the site of the July tragedy in which 27 people, including health workers and children, died.

Kates has also credited life jackets with helping save some of the passengers in the latest incident, saying: “Without the donation of life jackets and the safety equipment, I think we would have had another 14 people deceased. You have to understand that they just wanted to get home.”

The latest loss in PNG comes as neighbouring Vanuatu authorities have ended the active search for people missing from the inter-island ferry MV Matui, which sank between Santo and Ambae on 11 September.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has ordered an independent inquiry into the MV Matui disaster and cancelled his trip to the United Nations General Assembly to remain in Vanuatu. Photo/DFAT

Fourteen people survived and two bodies were recovered while 37 people remain missing. Authorities now believe 39 people died in the disaster.

The Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority has lodged criminal complaints against the vessel's owners, management and master over alleged breaches of maritime law.

The authority has said the ferry was not authorised to carry passengers and had been warned about overloading before the voyage.

Prime Minister Jotham Napat has ordered an independent inquiry and cancelled his planned trip to the United Nations General Assembly to remain in Vanuatu and manage the response.

“This loss appears to be the result of strong winds and marine warnings not being heeded, and possibly of negligence including overloading of the vessel,” Napat told journalists. “Those responsible will face the full force of the law.”

The MV Matui disaster has also renewed calls for stronger maritime safety measures across the Pacific with regional experts warning that unsafe vessels and limited maritime resources remain an ongoing risk for island communities.

Communities depend on boats to reach family, markets, schools, health services and other islands, and the latest tragedies show how quickly a routine journey can become a fight for survival.