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{{Short description|2010 sinking of an Indonesian boat carrying asylum seekers off Christmas Island, Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}

{{Infobox event|date=15 December 2010|time=5:20am – 9:00am{{efn|shiptime}}|place=Near the coast of Rocky Point, [[Christmas Island]], [[Australia]]|type=[[Maritime disaster]]|cause=Vessel crushed against rocks by heavy waves|Deaths=50|coordinates={{coord|10|25|1|S|105|40|24|E|scale:5000000|display=title,inline}}|duration={{time interval|15 December 2010 5:20|15 December 2010 9:00|show=hm}}|participants=Passengers and crew of SIEV-221, residents of Christmas Island, HMAS ''Pirie'', ACV ''Triton''|image=SIEV-221 montage.jpg|Image_Caption=Top: SIEV-221 prior to breakup;
Middle: SIEV-221 shortly after initial collision;
Bottom: HMAS ''Pirie'' officers rescue survivors.}}

On 15 December 2010, an Indonesian fishing boat (known as the '''''Janga''''' and referred to as '''[[SIEV]]-221''' by Australian Government authorities) carrying 89 [[asylum seekers]] and 3 crew members sank after being dashed against the rocks near Rocky Point, [[Christmas Island]], an [[Australia|external Australian territory]]. 50 people died and 42 were rescued. The incident was the worst civilian maritime disaster in Australia in more than a century.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-09-27|title='Too dangerous' to attempt rescue in Christmas Island boat tragedy, court told|url=http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/27/too-dangerous-to-attempt-rescue-in-christmas-island-boat-tragedy-court-told|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-20|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160928154213/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/27/too-dangerous-to-attempt-rescue-in-christmas-island-boat-tragedy-court-told |archive-date=28 September 2016 }}</ref>

== Background ==
{{See also|Asylum in Australia|Immigration detention in Australia}}Christmas island is an external [[States and territories of Australia|Australian territory]] located approximately 360 kilometers to the south of Java, Indonesia and 2,660 kilometers from the Australian mainland.<ref name=":0">Dimasi, Michelle Jasmin. ''[https://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/file/943deff0-0dfd-499a-9df1-6298f4d4efba/1/Michelle%20Dimasi%20Thesis.pdf Australia's Asylum Seeker Policy and Christmas Island]''. Diss. Swinburne University of Technology, 2015.</ref> The island is a frequent destination for asylum seekers seeking to claim asylum on Australian soil,<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-01-25|title=Inside Christmas Island: the Australian detention centre with four asylum seekers and a $26m price tag|url=http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/26/inside-christmas-island-the-australian-detention-centre-with-four-asylum-seekers-and-a-26m-price-tag|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-20|website=The Guardian|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200126023118/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2020/jan/26/inside-christmas-island-the-australian-detention-centre-with-four-asylum-seekers-and-a-26m-price-tag |archive-date=26 January 2020 }}</ref> due to its proximity to Indonesia, which serves as a key transit country for people smugglers and asylum seekers in the region.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=2013-07-17|title=Migrant boat capsizes off Australia's Christmas Island|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-23332634|access-date=2021-04-22}}</ref>

SIEV-221 (known by the passengers as the ''Janga'')<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctvpj7hqz|title=Migration by Boat: Discourses of Trauma, Exclusion and Survival|date=2016-05-01|volume=35 |publisher=Berghahn Books|isbn=978-1-78533-102-2|editor-last=Mannik|editor-first=Lynda|edition=1|doi=10.2307/j.ctvpj7hqz|jstor=j.ctvpj7hqz |s2cid=210089172 }}</ref> was a wooden Indonesian fishing boat around 15 meters long, which had been stripped of most equipment.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2011-12-02|title=Sifting through the wreckage|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/sifting-through-the-wreckage-20111202-1obnx.html|access-date=2021-04-20|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">Coroner's Court of Western Australia, ''[https://www.coronerscourt.wa.gov.au/_files/Christmas_Island_Findings.pdf Inquest into the deaths of SIEV 221 Christmas Island]'', 23 February 2012.</ref> There was no safety equipment on board other than around 20 life jackets. The vessel had been experiencing engine problems, for which the crew unsuccessfully sought maintenance.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=O'Brien|first=Natalie|date=2011-05-20|title=Dirty tricks aboard a doomed boat|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/dirty-tricks-aboard-a-doomed-boat-20110520-1ewi1.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-20|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110523211423/http://www.smh.com.au:80/national/dirty-tricks-aboard-a-doomed-boat-20110520-1ewi1.html |archive-date=23 May 2011 }}</ref>

The vessel was crewed by four Indonesians. Three were fishermen with limited seafaring experience,<ref name=":2" /> who were offered the equivalent of $2,000 to work on the boat.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-09-26|title=Crew of Christmas Island boat tragedy jailed|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-26/people-smugglers-sentenced-to-jail/4281560|access-date=2021-04-20|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref> A fourth acted as captain.<ref name=":3" />

The passengers were a group of 89 asylum seekers mainly from Iraq and Iran. There were 58 men and 34 women on board, from at least 8 different family groups.<ref name=":2" />

On the morning of 12 December 2010, passengers were collected from hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia where they had been waiting for the voyage.  They were driven to a remote coastal location, and loaded onto two small boats which transported them out to sea where they boarded SIEV-221.<ref name=":3" />

Passengers had been told SIEV-221 was comfortable, safe and well equipped.<ref name=":1" /> However, they discovered that conditions on board were cramped, with people crowded above and below deck,<ref name=":2" /> and only a hole in the deck to use as a toilet.<ref name=":3" /> No instructions were provided to passengers about how to use life jackets or what to do in the case of an emergency.<ref name=":2" />

SIEV-221 departed from Jakarta for Christmas Island around midnight on 12 December 2010.<ref name=":3" /> The main engine failed at one point during the voyage, but the crew were able to re-start it.<ref name=":1" /> The captain abandoned the boat just before the final leg of the journey, transferring to another vessel trailing behind. He gave the remaining crew members basic directions to Christmas Island and said they would arrive in around 5 hours.<ref name=":3" />

==Incident==
The shores of Christmas Island consist of jagged cliffs and, even in good weather, there are few locations where a boat can safely off-load passengers.<ref name=":2" /> The monsoon season meant the seas around the island were very rough on the morning of 15 December 2010, with wind speeds of 20 to 30 knots and wave height of up to 4 meters.<ref name=":2" /> The weather conditions restricted visibility to 150 meters.<ref name=":5">Parliamentary Joint Select Committee on the Christmas Island Tragedy of 15 December 2010, [https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Joint/Former_Committees/christmasisland/christmas_island/report/index Report], 29 June 2011.</ref> This was "amongst the worst weather ever experienced on the island".<ref name=":5" />

SIEV-221 was first sighted by residents on Christmas island around 5:20am on 15 December.<ref name=":2" /> At that time the vessel appeared to be 400 to 600 meters away from the island and moving under its own motion.<ref name=":5" /> A trail of black smoke could be seen coming from its exhaust. It continued to make its way through heavy seas near the coast for around 40 minutes.<ref name=":5" />

A number of residents phoned emergency services to report the presence of the vessel.<ref name=":2" /> Around the same time, passengers aboard SIEV-221 also began making emergency distress calls using their mobile phones, however Australian emergency services operators struggled to understand what passengers were saying due to language barriers.<ref name=":2" />

Australian Customs and Border Protection vessels {{HMAS|Pirie|ACPB 87|6}} and [[RV Triton|ACV ''Triton'']] were coincidentally nearby, sheltering from the weather to the east of Christmas Island. Both vessels were notified of the presence of SIEV-221 by customs officials around 5:45am<ref name=":2" /> and proceeded at full speed to intercept the boat.<ref name=":5" />

Around 6:10am, the engine of SIEV-221 failed entirely and the crew were unable to re-start it.<ref name=":5" /> The vessel began to drift towards Rocky Point; an area where deep ocean swells strike against jagged cliffs and wash back out to sea,<ref name=":2" /> approximately 800 meters from where the vessel was first sighted.<ref name=":5" /> Christmas Island residents could hear passengers on SIEV-221 screaming and calling for help as waves pushed the boat closer to the rocks.<ref name=":2" /> Residents on the nearby clifftop captured amateur video footage of the entire incident.

Between 6:25am and 6:35am, the vessel was repeatedly struck against the rocks by heavy waves.<ref name=":5" /> The hull survived the first two impacts against the rocks but broke apart on the third impact.<ref name=":1" /> Passengers were thrown from the broken vessel and many who entered the water grabbed onto the [[flotsam and jetsam]] to stay afloat.<ref name="shas">{{Cite news|author=Nicolas Perpitch, Debbie Guest and Tony Barrass|date=16 December 2010|title=Screams heard above the storm|newspaper=[[The Australian]]|publisher=News Limited|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/screams-heard-above-the-storm/story-fn59niix-1225971785504|accessdate=15 December 2010}}</ref> The passengers and surrounding water were covered in diesel from the destroyed boat engine.<ref name=":1" />

Around 60 residents of Christmas Island<ref name=":5" /> gathered at the top of nearby cliffs and threw life jackets and other objects into the water.<ref name="rbs">{{Cite news|author=Kevin Drew|date=15 December 2010|title=Refugee Boat Sinks Near Australia|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/16/world/asia/16australia.html?src=mv|accessdate=15 December 2010}}</ref> Residents tried to haul victims out of the water using ropes tied to flotation devices.<ref name=":5" /> These rescue efforts were severely hampered by the sheer cliffs and poor weather conditions,<ref name="abc1">{{cite news|date=15 December 2010|title=27 confirmed dead after asylum boat sinking|work=[[ABC News Online]]|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/12/15/3094257.htm|accessdate=15 December 2010}}</ref> with heavy winds blowing life jackets back against the cliff face. Only one man was able to scramble ashore.<ref name="absr">{{cite web|date=15 December 2010|title=Asylum boat smashes into rocks, kills at least 27 on Christmas Island|url=http://www.canada.com/life/Asylum+boat+smashes+into+rocks+kills+least+Christmas+Island/3980226/story.html|publisher=Canada.com|accessdate=16 December 2010}}{{Dead link|date=September 2018|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}</ref>

Inflatable boats from HMAS ''Pirie'' and tenders from the ACV ''Triton'' arrived at Rocky Point around 7:00am.<ref name=":2" /> 41 passengers were rescued from the waters around the broken SIEV-221 by these vessels. Residents acted as spotters for the rescue boats, pointing out locations of survivors in the water.<ref name=":2" /> Many survivors were kept afloat by life jackets which had been thrown by residents from the clifftop.<ref name=":2" />

Rescue boats pulled the final survivors from the water around 9:00am.<ref name=":1" /> No living passengers were found after that time, and the rescue effort was formally suspended on 18 December 2010.<ref name="sbsa">{{Cite news|date=18 December 2010|title=Search for boat survivors abandoned|newspaper=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|publisher=Fairfax Media|url=http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/search-for-boat-survivors-abandoned-20101218-191ad.html|accessdate=23 December 2010}}</ref>

==Aftermath==

=== Survivors of SIEV-221 ===
50 passengers of SIEV-221 died as a result of the incident; 35 adults and 15 children.<ref name=":4" /> Only 30 bodies were recovered. The remaining missing were later declared deceased either due to drowning or injuries suffered as a result of the impact with the shore.<ref name=":2" />

There were 42 survivors of the incident; 22 adult males, nine adult females, seven male minors, and four female minors. Of the survivors, 27 were from Iran, seven from Iraq, five were stateless, and three were from Indonesia.<ref name=":8">Department of Immigration and Citizenship, ''Submission to the Joint Select Committee on the Christmas Island Tragedy''.</ref> Three children were left orphaned.<ref>[https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/family-reunion-for-shipwreck-orphans/news-story/e6521d153c7a7a621d2bfa0d0fc31bea ''Family reunion for shipwreck orphans''] 21 December 2010, ''The Daily Telegraph''. Retrieved 20 April 2021.</ref>

After receiving medical treatment, most survivors were temporarily placed into mandatory immigration detention on Christmas Island. On 24 February 2011, the orphans and their families were released into community detention on the Australian mainland pending the assessment of their asylum claims. The remaining survivors were transferred into community detention on 6 March 2011.<ref name=":8" />

The three Indonesian crew members who piloted SIEV-221 all survived and were convicted of people smuggling offenses in Australia.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2011-01-24|title=SIEV 221 crew charged as navy, Customs 'cleared' by internal report|url=https://www.news.com.au/national/siev-221-crew-charged-as-navy-customs-cleared/news-story/c1df7f26fbd375403c6556b9ad49dbd7|url-status=live|access-date=2021-04-20|website=news.com.au|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420062552/https://www.news.com.au/national/siev-221-crew-charged-as-navy-customs-cleared/news-story/c1df7f26fbd375403c6556b9ad49dbd7 |archive-date=20 April 2021 }}</ref> An Iranian-born Australian named Ali Heydarkhani was later extradited to Australia and separately sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for organising asylum seeker boats including SIEV-221.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2012-09-26|title=Crew of Christmas Island boat tragedy jailed|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-26/people-smugglers-sentenced-to-jail/4281560|access-date=2021-04-20|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref>

In 2015, a group of survivors commenced a class-action lawsuit against the Australian government, alleging government officials were negligent in failing to respond to the disaster quickly enough.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-09-28|title=Siev 221 tragedy: class action adjourned as asylum seeker boat survivors seek documents|url=http://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2016/sep/28/siev-221-tragedy-class-action-by-asylum-seeker-boat-survivors-adjourned|access-date=2021-04-20|website=the Guardian|language=en}}</ref> The case was dismissed by the Supreme Court of New South Wales, which found the government did not owe a [[duty of care]] to the passengers of SIEV-221 because it had no control over the boat and could not control the weather conditions.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|date=2017-09-13|title=Families lose class action over Christmas Island asylum boat tragedy|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-13/families-of-drowned-asylum-seekers-lose-class-action/8942338|access-date=2021-04-22|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref>

=== Australian domestic response ===
Amateur video of the sinking of SIEV-221, captured by Christmas Island residents, was broadcast on the evening news in Australia on 10 December.<ref name=":9">{{Cite news|date=2010-12-16|title=Deadly shipwreck puts human face on Australia's asylum debate|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-12005802|access-date=2021-04-22}}</ref> The incident escalated domestic political debate in Australia regarding asylum seekers arriving by boat,<ref name=":9" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=2010-12-15|title=Christmas Island boat tragedy fuels debate over Australian policy on asylum seekers|work=Christian Science Monitor|url=https://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2010/1215/Christmas-Island-boat-tragedy-fuels-debate-over-Australian-policy-on-asylum-seekers|access-date=2021-04-23|issn=0882-7729}}</ref> and became a turning point in asylum seeker policy.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Needham|first=Kirsty|date=2015-09-05|title=Image of Aylan Kurdi a reminder of tragic loss of asylum seeker babies off Christmas Island|url=https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/image-of-aylan-kurdi-a-reminder-of-tragic-loss-of-asylum-seeker-babies-off-christmas-island-20150904-gjfgpy.html|access-date=2021-04-23|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}}</ref>

Opposition leader [[Tony Abbott]] called for the return of [[Howard Government|Howard government]] refugee policies.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-12-19|title=Call to return to Howard policy after shipwreck|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-12-19/call-to-return-to-howard-policy-after-shipwreck/2379246|access-date=2021-04-23|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref> Prime Minister [[Julia Gillard]] publicly blamed people smugglers for the tragedy,<ref>{{Cite web|date=2010-12-16|title=Gillard defends response to boat tragedy|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2010-12-16/gillard-defends-response-to-boat-tragedy/2377258|access-date=2021-04-22|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref> and later cited the incident as one factor leading to the development of the [[Malaysian Solution|Malaysian solution]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Gillard|first=Julia|date=2011-09-25|title=Julia Gillard: Why we must stop the boats|url=https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/prime-minister-julia-gillard-why-we-must-stop-the-boats/news-story/6c9e592ae9d4b88b2b812d61c42a39ec|access-date=2021-04-22|website=adelaidenow|language=en}}</ref> Immigration Minister [[Chris Bowen]] said the incident "steeled the government's resolve to dissuade asylum seekers from getting on boats".<ref name=":10">{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Lloyd|date=2011-12-15|title=Flowers to remember lives lost - memorial for Christmas Island refugee tragedy|url=https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/flowers-to-remember-lives-lost--memorial-for-christmas-island-refugee-tragedy/news-story/6d896196d38c6b21c097b9ec5d0036e1|access-date=2021-04-23|website=The Daily Telegraph|language=en}}</ref>

The [[Parliament of Australia|Australian Parliament]] formed a bipartisan [[Select committee (parliamentary system)|select committee]] to investigate the incident, which delivered its report in June 2011. The Committee praised the search and rescue effort by Christmas Island residents and customs personnel as brave and selfless.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web|date=2011-06-29|title=Christmas Island inquest praises rescue team|url=https://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2011/s3256570.htm|access-date=2021-04-20|website=www.abc.net.au|language=en-AU}}</ref> The Committee recommended ongoing support and counseling for residents and survivors of the disaster, and that a permanent memorial be established on the island.<ref name=":6" />

The [[Coroner's Court of Western Australia]] (which has coronial jurisdiction over Christmas Island) conducted an inquest into the disaster in 2012. The Coroner praised the bravery of residents and rescue officers. However, he criticised the lack of available rescue vessels on Christmas Island and the insufficient visual and radar surveillance of incoming boats.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|last=Needham|first=Kirsty|date=2012-02-23|title=Asylum boat deaths avoidable, coroner rules|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/asylum-boat-deaths-avoidable-coroner-rules-20120223-1tqt7.html|access-date=2021-04-20|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|language=en}}</ref> He concluded the disaster was "generally foreseeable" and another tragedy may occur so long as asylum seeker boats continue to travel to Christmas Island.<ref name=":7" />

=== Residents of Christmas Island ===
Many residents of Christmas Island involved in the rescue efforts reported feelings of extreme helplessness and post-traumatic stress as a result of what they had witnessed.<ref>Department for Regional Australia, ''[https://www.regional.gov.au/territories/publications/files/Social_Economic_Impacts_Immigration_Detention_Centre_Christmas_Island_Community.pdf The Social and Economic Impacts of the Immigration Detention Centre on the Christmas Island Community],'' 28 June 2012.</ref>

A public memorial for the victims of the disaster was erected at Smith Point, Christmas Island in 2011, and features the mounted damaged propeller of SIEV-221 and a memorial plaque.<ref name=":10" />

==See also==
* [[Human trafficking in Australia]]
* [[November 2009 Cocos (Keeling) Island migrant boat disaster]]
* [[SIEV X]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Asylumaustralia}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Island boat disaster, 2010}}
[[Category:2010 in Christmas Island|Boat disaster, 2010]]
[[Category:Immigration to Australia]]
[[Category:Iraqi diaspora]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 2010|Christmas Island boat disaster, 2010]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in Australia]]
[[Category:Migrant boat disasters]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of Christmas Island]]
[[Category:2010 disasters in Australia]]