comment Clare Nicholls D
Safety must always be our top priority
espite the international media circus and the questions surrounding the Costa Concordia accident, it is a small consolation that the death toll is not higher than the 17 currently reported (with 15 still missing). Over 4,000 passengers and crew made it to shore safely and it is gratifying to note that the ferry industry could assist with the rescue in the form of Grimaldi’s Cruise Barcelona cruiseferry (see page 14). However, any fatality is more than the industry wants to see. In the wake of high profile incidents such as this or the Herald of Free Enterprise and Estonia sinkings, it is inevitable that the passenger shipping industry reviews its safety practices. Before this accident IMO was already focusing on safety, adopting a detailed action plan addressing domestic ferry safety in east Asia. This was agreed at a forum jointly organised with Interferry in Bali, Indonesia, on 6–7 December 2011.
rules and regulations and to support and monitor ships’ masters and operators to ensure that safety obligations are properly fulfilled. It also encourages governments to participate in regular dialogue and share relevant data with all those with an interest in domestic ferry safety. This should help to identify critical issues that lead to accidents and casualties with a view to finding solutions.
T
It was timely then, that Riviera Maritime Media’s Passenger Ship Safety Conference took place on 19–20 January, in London. This provided a platform for the passenger shipping industry to discuss how to prevent accidents from happening and how to minimise the human and environmental consequences if they do.
www.passengership.info
he eight-point plan calls on governments to assist purpose
shipowners vessels to provide fit-for- compliant with national
Mikko Matilla, sales director at naval architects Deltamarin, briefed the conference on the Solas 2009 rules, while Paul Nichols, lead specialist at Lloyd’s Register’s passenger ship support centre for new construction, analysed the recent safe return to port (SRTP) regulations. However, it was interesting that neither Mr Matilla nor Mr Nichols believed that Costa Concordia would have survived had it been built to the Solas 2009 or SRTP rules. The industry may need to focus on the human element to avoid this type of accident happening in the future.
erhaps improving safety equipment is part of the answer, as human behaviour will never be 100 per cent reliable. Therefore the conference also hosted a lively debate on whether lifeboats or marine evacuation systems (MES) represent the best evacuation equipment choice. Ferries such as P&O’s Spirit of Britain and the recently delivered sistership, Spirit of France (see page 13), have already opted for all-MES solutions. “Lifeboats represent safety and confidence to passengers,” said Peter Reinke, naval architect in Fassmer’s lifeboat research and development department. “They are an active system with their own propulsion. Liferafts have to wait to be towed away from a dangerous zone.” Survitec’s Marin-Ark sales manager, Richard McCormick, countered this point: “MESs are simple to operate and there is minimum risk of crew injuries,” he said. “MESs ensure a vessel evacuation takes place within IMO’s 30-minute stipulation – lifeboats don’t come close to that.” Mr McCormick announced that his company is developing self-propelled MESs – a hybrid lifeboat/ MES. Bringing ideas together like this, and having open dialogues within the industry, may contribute to further improving what remains an essentially safe mode of transport. PST
P Passenger Ship Technology I Spring 2012 I 5
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