WILMER JOEL
A 20-foot passenger and cargo boat sank in heavy seas near Arno Atoll just before the New Year, with four passengers still missing and presumed lost. Only three of the seven people on the small boat that sank December 30 were able to use ocean currents to swim into Majuro.
The three washed up in various locations in Majuro on New Year’s Eve, 24-hours after the boat sank. Unknown to them and the others, an intensive search was launched the same night the boat sank and continued into last weekend.
Two of the three survivors narrated their story with the Journal.
The single outboard boat owned by Bernard Chong Gum left Majuro lagoon for the Rearlaplap section of Arno Atoll on Monday afternoon with five men and two women onboard to deliver food supplies for a funeral. Captain Billimon Henos, in his 20s, was at the helm at the time. Rearlaplap is on the far eastern corner of Arno.
Bobson Hermios, a 16-year-old crew member and the youngest person on board, said that around 6pm the boat started to slow down and swamp.
The other young crew member, 18-year-old Mokka Namto, said that the bow of the boat began leaking and the water washing into the boat was destabilizing the progress. One of the women tripped on the battery connected to the engine, causing the boat to come to a full stop where it was buffeted by big waves, Mokka said. They dumped the supplies to lessen the weight of the boat but waves bashed the boat five times, which eventually sank vertically in a matter of seconds. Mokka said he started to fear for his life.
The captain dove in to retrieve the life jackets, coming out with six. Meanwhile, Bobson tried to save the bucket containing the communication devices, including radios and phones, but was unsuccessful.
The life jackets were given to all except Mokka, the youngest. He and others used fuel containers to stay afloat. One of the women led the group in prayer to provide comfort at this distressing time. By then they were in complete darkness miles off Arno, though they could see some lights on the nearby islands. Ocean waves and currents buffeted everyone as they began floating toward Majuro.
Rearlaplap was visible from the distance, but attempts to reach shore failed, according to Mokka. The crew and passengers swam together to Majuro, though at some point Captain Billimon and Bobson became separated from the others.
They waved clothes and shouted to get the attention of three boats that passed by at different times, but none of the boats saw them. The last boat they saw Tuesday morning belonged to the police, according to Mokka.
On Tuesday, after floating into the vicinity of Majuro’s east-facing shoreline, he added that the old man suggested going with his wife ashore to one of the islands they could see in the distance. His wife, who was one of the two women, remained with the other woman.
Mokka and the older man, a notable softball pitcher named Talley Mwewa, tried to swim toward Delap. They were both near SDA Delap when they were pulled in by the strong swell there, which he identified as “Bok-en SDA.” This is when the man began to lose strength. He then pulled off his life jacket and gave up, Mokka said, adding he tried to pull him back but we were both weak, plus the current was bashing against them.
“I tried my best but I felt sorry and had to let him go,” he said.
Mokka would eventually wash up on the ocean side of the College of the Marshall Islands in Uliga Tuesday night after more than 24 hours in the water, while Bobson and Captain Billimon washed up at the ocean side of Delap Elementary School earlier.
Bobson and Mokka all suffered from cold shock, pain, fatigue, and hunger.
Bobson said he suffered from sunburn, whereas Mokka was stung by jellyfish and endured skin irritation caused by fuel spillage from the boat as it sunk.
RMI Sea Patrol officers involved in the search for missing passengers and crew from the boat that sank near Arno said the patrol vessel was blasted by big waves during the initial search Monday night December 30, a few hours after the boat went down.
Soon after they left Majuro to Arno, they were up against giant waves, said a Sea Patrol officer. The ocean conditions the Sea Patrol search team faced confirmed why earlier in the Day December 30, the National Weather Service had issued a small craft warning due to unsafe ocean conditions for small boats.
“We went on the smaller Taiwan search boat (RMI Sea Patrol 02),” he said. “The monstrous waves smashed on our boat but we kept on.”
Another of the officers demonstrated how sea water inside their boat was way above his ankle when they searched.
“Our captain is a seasoned fisherman and he knows the water, that’s why I was not scared of the level of seawater in our boat that night” he said.
The next day, Tuesday, other boats joined on the search mission. Private boats from both Majuro and Arno. Numerous boats searched where they thought the swells would carry the people.
Three of the missing people on a boat that sank off Arno Monday last week were public elementary school teachers in Arno Atoll.
Two of those lost at sea and still missing 10 days after the boat sank near Rearlaplap in Arno were teachers at Kilange Elementary School. The other was a teacher at Tinak Elementary School.
“We at PSS are heartbroken for these dedicated educators, their families, and their students,” said PSS Commissioner Dr. Natalie Nimmer. “Any loss of a teacher impacts the children they serve. In a case like this, where the teachers were lost in such a horrifying way, this can impact the students even more because it can cause the students to be afraid of boat transportation, the ocean, and even for the mortality of their other teachers, parents and loved ones. As a community, it will be important for adults to give extra attention to these students during their mourning, and especially the next time these children go into the water or board a boat.”
Dr. Nimmer offered some details about the three missing teachers.
She pointed out that “the students are also impacted by the loss of their teachers in their academic development.”
In the case of Tinak Elementary School, “Agent Nimoto was a dedicated young teacher of 5th and 6th graders who had earned an Associate’s Degree from CMI,” she said. “In Kilange, Lorina Tarki was a nurturing kindergarten teacher who had earned her Certificate in Early Childhood Education from USP. Susan Kauwe, also from Kilange Elementary School, was an engaging and caring teacher to 5th and 6th grade students.”
Both schools had only five teachers each.
The Commissioner added: “PSS joins their families in prayer and mourning.”
—With additional reporting by Hilary Hosia and Giff Johnson