Reinvestigating The Golden Venture
By Mike Groves
In mid January of 1993 the Golden Venture, then known as the (Motor Vessel) M/V ''Tong Sern" of Panamanian registry departed Singapore, the Captain, an Indonesian by the name of Amir Humanthal Lumban Tobing releasing the ships lines holding her alongside as he then steered her gently, and somewhat inconspicuously into the crowded shipping lanes surrounding Singapore. Here she would begin the first leg of an arduous and criminal journey as she made her way towards Thailand, a journey that would ultimately cause her to sail towards her own little port of call on the pages of history.
Once in Bangkok, the M/V ''Tong Sern" remained in port for approximately one month where she took on provisions, provisions that were allegedly guarded by two Thai military NCO’s (non commissioned officers). She would eventually leave the port on February 14, 1993 before sailing the shortest leg throughout this entire voyage, stopping just one hour south of Bangkok in an area known as Pattaya.
That evening under the cover of darkness and using up to ten speedboats, each making multiple trips to and from the shoreline, it would appear that without comprehension, Captain Tobing loaded his ‘cargo’ consisting of ninety one Chinese passengers. He may well have committed this act through personal greed or the added fear of having the ships owner and on board enforcer, Kin Sin Lee with them, we do not know. Lee, a particularly ruthless young man is known to have joined the vessel in Singapore, so one can imagine how nervous many could have felt with his presence around them.
Two days after loading the passengers, the shipping agent then directed the vessels name be changed to the "Golden Venture" with Honduran registry; the dirty money filtering through Kin Sin Lee fingers even stretching this far so it would appear. This particular section of the operation was also being run and coordinated in the main by "Big Boss' Yang out of Thailand.
I can imagine with this knowledge in the back of his mind and the very presence of Kin Sin Lee on board, the Captain was acutely aware what this piece of filth and by association, the notorious and murderous gangs he plied his trade to, were capable of. What is clear however is that "Big Boss' Yang was not working alone, reporting to a much higher entity than even he within the criminal network and a woman at that!
A Chinese lady by the name of ‘Sister Ping’ was the main figurehead in the smuggling game, known as a person that could easily get you from A to B anywhere in the world; if you had the funds to pay for it. Based and operating out of Chinatown in New York City (NYC); only arriving herself in the United States in 1981, this unassuming lady immersed herself in the trade of illegal smuggling, assisting countless numbers of people to escape from China for some years. Her success eventually led her to build a vast $40,000,000 million fortune in the trade of human trafficking, ultimately becoming the most successful Shetou, or Snakehead in living memory.
Following a five day transit, the newly named Golden Venture; whether planned or through an unexpected fault, found herself moored in the vicinity of Singapore in an area known as Sulthan Shoal. Here she remained for a further twelve days as repairs were made to the ships generator and also to the reverse osmosis water purification system, twelve days moored near one of the busiest ports in the world and yet with no one appearing to notice the newly named vessel, and in obvious self imposed isolation.
In the days before the New York City World Trade Center terrorists' attack on September 11, 2001 (9/11) and the resulting security acts and increased maritime measures, maritime security was not as sharp as it is today. The subsequent introduction of additional legislation such as the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT), would vastly improve things altogether.
ISPS is a comprehensive set of measures to enhance the security of ships and port facilities. Developed in response to the perceived threats to ships and port facilities in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in the United States", its development and subsequent implementation was speeded up drastically after 9/11 and the bombing of the French tanker Limburg on October 6, 2002 whilst anchored some miles off shore.
C-TPAT is a voluntary program led by US Customs and Border Protect (CBP) and focuses on improving the security of private companies supply chains with respect to terrorism. Launched in November 2001 and with only seven initial participants, by 2005 there were more than 9,000 companies participating.
So in light of all that technical jargon, one can easily imagine that port inspections were not the best in 1993. However, what I find startling at this point is one simple question that does not seem to have been answered or possibly asked, did the ships crew fix the generator themselves or outside subcontractors?
You would assume contractors would have undertaken the work in all probability due to the apparent technical and somewhat specialized nature of dealing with water purification systems. Certainly from my experience on cruise ships we had the skills on board, but this was just a small tanker full of thugs from what I have been able to establish. I am sure there was an engineer but sometimes this can be down to the Captain to deal with such matters, often being required to multi-task on such a small vessel. So if contractors did board the ship, when did they and who were they? Can it be that no one really see or even hear any movement from the human cargo sweltering in the hold below? It would obviously appear not.
Police would later say they believed the Golden Venture crew was originally made up of twelve to fifteen British crew but was changed after further mechanical problems and a possible mutiny later in Kenya, the port being a regular stopping point for some Chinese smuggling rings. However the existence of a wholly British crew has never been proved and furthermore, I have been unable to locate any passengers from the Golden Venture suggesting such a crew existed at the start of their perilous journey.
After completing her repairs and with her ‘sealed cargo’ still in tact, the Golden Venture slipped away from her moorings. Making one final brief call at an unknown Indonesian Island located in the Strait of Malacca; primarily to purchase cigarettes and beer, she then proceeded towards the Indian Ocean.
For many looking at the Golden Venture as she passed them by she would have appeared as just another small ship making just another small journey; nothing unusual one would assume, yet in her hold the unfolding human tragedy was now starting to play out its own life game of Snakes and Ladders. Today the game could easily have been stopped, the board and dice firmly packed away, but in 1993 maritime security inspections were virtually non existent or random at best.
So, the Golden Venture found herself able to continue on her epic journey unnoticed as this dangerous game remained in play, not overly concerned that she would be stopped nor would Kin Sin Lee ever have allowed it, for below his feet was pay day!
In the bigger scheme of things Kin Sin Lee was just a small fish, but he was a trusted lieutenant in a smuggling industry that amounted to over $3-billion USD a year, even back in 1993.
The Golden Venture would soon arrive in Mombassa, Kenya, arriving on March 26th to be more exact and as previously highlighted, where she would break down yet again before later taking on another two hundred passengers. Once again all the passengers were Chinese nationals, many of which had been stranded there from an earlier passage in 1992.
Reinvestigating The Golden Venture
By Mike Groves QGM
Cruise Bruise Security And Safety Advisor
September 7, 2009
