Dhow survivors reject payout
by mahmood on 22/04/08 at 12:31 pm · email · print
Survivors of the Al Dana dhow disaster have condemned as “disgusting” a BD500 compensation offer from the vessel’s owner. A group of British, South African and Indian Nass, Murray and Roberts employees received the proposal from Abdulla Al Kobaisi via their lawyer.
The 15 workers raised a joint action against the Bahraini owner of the vessel in the aftermath of the tragedy, on March 30, 2006.
Fifty-eight people died when the dhow capsized during a party organised by contractor Nass, Murray and Roberts to celebrate the completion of concreting work on the Bahrain World Trade Centre.
Seventy-two people survived.
The company had hired the dhow from Island Tours, which in turn had hired it from the Abdulla Al Kobaisi Company for Travel and Tourism.
Mr Al Kobaisi and Indian captain Rajendra Kumar Ramjibhai were convicted of manslaughter last May.
Mr Al Kobaisi was initially jailed for 10 years but released on BD10,000 bail pending an appeal, while Mr Ramjibhai was jailed for three years.
Mr Al Kobaisi’s sentence was halved to five years last December by the High Criminal Appeal Court and it is understood he has already paid compensation to 12 of the 27 families affected.
However, the same court also rejected the captain’s appeal against his sentence.
Mr Al Kobaisi’s lawyer Abdulrahman Ghunaim last month confirmed his client was not in jail, but was in an unnamed hospital with “serious health complications”.
British survivors and relatives of people who died in the tragedy also travelled to Bahrain last month to mark the second anniversary of the disaster and to try and speed up compensation payments.
The GDN yesterday obtained a copy of a letter from the Kioumji & Eslim law firm, representing the Nass, Murray and Roberts survivors.
“An amicable settlement has been offered by the ship’s owner for BD500 only, which is still valid, by his lawyer, as a full and final settlement,” says the letter.
It adds that Kioumji & Eslim is ready to bring a civil court case against the defendants, for a maximum of BD5,000 each.
But it urges the survivors to make a final decision quickly, for fear of losing the case “by limitations”.
“It is a derisory offer and we are a bit surprised that we are suddenly being issued with an ultimatum, bearing in mind we have been waiting for two years,” said one dhow survivor, who did not wish to be named.
“People have suffered pain and anguish and that night will live with us forever and BD500 does not seem to be a lot for that.
“It is not a question of greed.
“We are just looking for something that is more reasonable to recompense the pain and suffering that people have gone through.”
The source added the offer was unanimously rejected during a meeting of Nass, Murray and Roberts survivors group on Saturday, which he said left those attending “disgusted”.
