November 21, 1995. Copyright, 1995, Graphic News. All rights reserved


INCREASED SAFETY STANDARDS FOR ROLL-ON, ROLL-OFF FERRIES
By Nicholas Booth, Science Editor

LONDON, November 21, Graphic News- Worldwide calls for stricter safety standards for roll-on roll-off ferries are being heard at a conference organised in London this week by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO). Government representatives will decide next week whether to force international ferry operators to use car decks divided into sections by bulkheads and to ensure that they adhere to enhanced evacuation procedures. In particular, ferries will have to undergo rigorous tests to ensure that they do not list with only a few centimetres of water in their car decks, the cause of many ro-ro accidents in recent years.

The British government has announced today that it is prepared to act unilaterally outside the IMO, whose remit includes the International Convention for the Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS). BritainÕs unilateral behaviour comes as a direct result of the loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise in March 1987 when 190 people died. A Court of Enquiry suggested a number of safety improvements including the installation of indicator lights to show bow doors are closed, closed circuit television to monitor car decks and accurate recording of passenger numbers. In 1993, the UK and 13 other European countries suggested improved standards, stricter than the IMO standard. 

ÔWe will take action outside the IMO Ð either regionally with our European neighbours or even unilaterally Ð to apply these higher standards to passenger ferries serving UK ports,Õ said British shipping minister, Lord Goschen, at the opening of the conference. His words come after a damning report on safety standards by a House Of Commons Select Committee revealed that three-quarters of ferries operating from UK ports failed to meet international safety standards. Government officials have made it known that foreign vessels failing to meet UK standards will be banned from British ports.

The loss of the passenger ship Estonia with over 900 lives in September 1994 led the International Maritime Organisation to convene a panel of experts to look into the matter. In May of this year, they called for stricter safety measures including additional protection for bow doors and improvements in evacuation arrangements as well as measures to deal with water flooding into car decks, which should be compartmentalised. Over the course of this week, sub-committees will debate these suggestions prior to their being taken up as international law within two years.

Sources: International Maritime Organisation, Department Of Transport