I would just like to thank PNWxplant for bringing some much-appreciated expertise to this tragic thread. Thanks for your insight.

Edited to add: browsing older threads in this forum indicates the sheer number of near misses and minor collisions that abound. I was involved in one way back in 1993 and they occurred before and since. It's a crowded harbour.

But back then most of the ferries were slower, albeit bigger, and presumably there was a greater margin of error. Now that they are fast cats, things really need to improve.

Tightening up of safety standards is clearly important, but knee-jerk legislation passed in haste following a tragedy is usually bad legislation, and often has unforeseen side-effects.

In my mind, more important right now is actually enforcing existing standards.

BBC just reported that 6 crew from both boats arrested.

Plus, search and rescue continuing as not all passengers accounted for.

I despair for the crew....under-paid, over-worked and scapegoated for human error committed by clearly not every single one of them.

http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1052350/six-crew-arrested-over-fatal-lamma-ferry-crash:
"This is the deadliest boat accident in Hong Kong in 40 years."

http://rthk.hk/rthk/news/englishnews/news.htm?main&20121002&56&873428:
"Five children were among the dead."

For the exact location of the accident, see my map below. It's just beyond the lighthouse/buoy off that rocky outcrop before reaching Pak Kok Village that all boats have to go around, often within metres (see below), it's kind of a naval bottleneck.
I took the photos below this early morning from the light-blue rock, see below, beyond the Sitting-Out Area above Pak Kok Village.

The HK Electric ferry - which is almost identical in size, make and colours (marine blue/burgundy) to our YSW-Aberdeen open-top deck ferries, see below - has been lifted, turned upright and will be moved to some pier probably tomorrow and might remain there during part of the criminal investigation.

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My heart goes out to all families in this tragedy.

It is a tragedy that should not have happened.

I had to work yesterday and Central Ferry pier was chaos with hundreds of people heading for Lamma by 10.00am. The queue was five to six deep and it stretched all the way to Pier 5!!

When I returned to Lamma around 5pm, the crowds were already incredible on the Lamma pier. Apparently the crowds on Lamma reached from the turnstiles to the Man Fung. A wall of people that was unbelievable.

No ferry timetables existed yesterday,... Lamma was overwhelmed. The ferries were overwhelmed. And a terrible accident happened.

I hope this makes CY Leung take note... HK does not have the infrastructure to admit 4 million more tourists.

The collision and deaths should not have happened. It's tragic and very sad.