Held Hostage Until Signing a Liability Waiver

Survivors of the deadly November 25 sinking of the liveaboard Sea Story in the Red Sea say they were pressured to sign official witness statements in Arabic -- which they couldn't understand and had been translated from English by an employee of the boat company.

They say the man also tried to get them to sign waivers stating they did not accuse anyone of "criminal wrongdoing."

Eleven survivors who spoke to the BBC accused the Egyptian authorities of trying to cover up what happened, saying investigators were determined to blame it on a massive wave while absolving the captain of any responsibility.

The Sea Story had been carrying 46 people when it sank in the early hours of November 25. Four bodies were recovered, and seven people are still missing, including two British divers.

Neither the Egyptian government nor the boat operators -- Dive Pro Liveaboard, based in Hurghada -- have responded to any questions. The BBC (along with Undercurrent and other media) revealed multiple accusations from survivors of safety failings on board the vessel. A leading oceanographer who analyzed weather data also said it was not plausible that a vast wave had hit the vessel.

Within hours of being brought ashore, survivors in their hospital beds said they were subjected to what one described as "an interrogation" by people they were told were judges. Others who were interviewed at a nearby resort also reported being pressured.

"We were told we couldn't leave the room until they'd taken everybody's statements," says Sarah Martin, an NHS doctor from Lancashire.

The judges were part of an Egyptian investigation into what caused the sinking -- though survivors say it was not clear who was leading it.

The survivors said having their initial statements translated into Arabic by an employee of the company that owned the Sea Story was a clear conflict of interest. Spanish diver Hissora Gonzalez said the man did not introduce himself as an employee. "He just said, 'You have to tell me what happened, and then you have to sign this piece of paper.'" Several people said it was not until later that the man told them he worked for Dive Pro Liveaboard.

After the man translated their statements, the survivors said that he handed them to investigators, which shocked Lisa Wolf. "A normal judge can't take a translation from someone who's obviously totally involved in the process."

Froydis Adamson, a Norwegian police investigator, said she had "no clue" what the four pages of Arabic handed to her said. "They could have written anything. I don't know what I signed." She said that under her signature, she wrote that she had not been able to read the documents.

We were in such shock and just wanted to go home," said Hissora.

Dive Pro Liveaboard representatives repeatedly tried to push people into signing waivers -- say survivors -- which would have them agreeing to the statement: "I do not accuse anyone of any criminal wrongdoing."

Justin Hodges, an American diver who was rescued, said a "release of liability document," written in English, was handed to him as he gave his witness statement. He thought the person he was talking to was "an official" but learned he worked for the company. "He slid in with the authorities," says Justin. "The fact he tried to get us to release liability at that moment was insane to me." Some people didn't sign the document.

Apparently, no one was allowed to keep copies of their statements, but some people managed to translate the documents with their phones. Many said that key, damning details which they had verbally conveyed were left out of the paperwork.

"Everything about the condition of the life rafts and safety issues on the boat went away," says Lisa Wolf.

"The only one responsible is the sea."

Survivors also say that from the outset, the authorities seemed determined to blame the tragedy on a huge wave, despite many of those rescued saying the waves were not too big to stop them from swimming. A leading oceanographer has told the BBC that contemporaneous meteorological data from the nearest airport strongly supports the survivors' recollections.

Hissora asked if she could eventually see a copy of the investigators' final report but says she was told there was no need. "[It's like] they already knew the cause was a wave."

She was told, "The only one responsible for this is the sea." She believes the authorities had already decided before the investigation had even begun. Sarah Martin said the judges were also "very eager" that survivors didn't blame anyone for the accident.

Multiple survivors say they were told that if they wanted to hold anyone responsible, they had to name an individual and the specific crime of which they were accused. "Just because I couldn't name the person and the crime, it didn't mean someone wasn't to blame," says Martin.

Dive Pro Liveaboard made a final attempt to get survivors to sign waivers as one group tried to leave for Cairo, says Hodges. "My blood was boiling." Having lost their passports at sea, he says a company representative told them that the documents presented to them were clearance papers to get through checkpoints.

"But then I get to the bottom, and the last sentence is the same release of liability question," ...a repeat of the one he was asked to sign when he gave his witness statement. He went to alert the others, and when he returned to the man he believed was trying to mislead him, the papers had "magically disappeared" and been replaced with more official-looking documents.

Andy Williamson, a friend of two missing Britons, said their family has constantly received partial and inaccurate news from the Egyptian government. For example, after the disaster, they were told the boat had not been found -- despite seeing on TV wreck survivors being brought ashore. They are calling for an open investigation.

"It would appear that Egyptian authorities are doing their very best to kind of sweep this under the carpet," says Andy. "They want to protect their tourism industry."

In March, a fire on another Dive Pro Liveaboard boat -- the Sea Legend -- killed a German tourist.

Last year, Maritime Survey International, an independent consultancy, produced a report on Red Sea dive boat safety. It inspected eight vessels (not any operated by Dive Pro Liveaboard) and found none had "a planned maintenance system, safety management system, or stability records," crucial for avoiding capsize. It found design standards "poor with all the vessels lacking watertight bulkheads, doors, and hatches." It concluded that not a single vessel was safe, and the dive boat industry in Egypt "plies its trade largely unregulated."

On January 7, 15 survivors emailed Egypt's Chamber of Diving and Water Sports (CDWS), which regulates all diving activities and is linked to the Ministry of Tourism. They relayed their safety concerns and questioned why Dive Pro Liveaboard could still operate.

The CDWS managing director replied on January 9 that there was an ongoing investigation into the case, which was being taken "very seriously." He added that "appropriate action" would be taken "against any negligence ... that resulted in the compromise of people's safety".

From an article by Joe Inwood (BBC News correspondent) published by the BBC on January 15.

- Ben Davison