Stricter safety standards for ferries likely to gain approval

Date: 11/01/1996

HOPES are high that a group of countries stretching from northern Spain and France to the Baltic states will agree tighter safety standards for 'roll-on roll-off' ferries when they meet in Stockholm later this month.

Following the decision to update all ferries under a 1988 amendment to the so-called 'SOLAS 90' agreement at November's meeting of the International Maritime Organisation, Sweden and the UK are leading moves to establish tighter standards for the north-west European region.

Both countries want to use the opportunity offered in a resolution which accompanied the main accord to get agreement on an additional safety requirement. This would guarantee that all ferries operating in the region could remain afloat even after taking up to 50 centimetres of water on to the car deck.

Given marked differences in the construction of ferries, the modifications needed to achieve this standard would vary from case to case.

While some ferries would require watertight bulkheads, others could achieve the same effect by having special buoyancy compartments built into their skin or buoyancy equipment added to the outside of the vessel.

“It really doesn't matter which method is used, so long as every single ferry is able to do what is required of it under a model test method we have already developed,” said one official.

Officials in London are very confident that a deal can be finalised by the end of this month's meeting, or by February at the latest.

“This would come into force a year after it was signed, with a phase-in period, naturally enough,” said one.

The UK has waged a long-running campaign for tighter standards in the face of intense public pressure following the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise off Zeebrugge in 1987.

Swedish officials are also hopeful that all countries in a region of north-west Europe reaching up to the three Baltic states will sign up to a new arrangement, but stressed that they were “going into the conference with an open mind”, simply hoping to extend the scope of the agreement to as many countries as possible.

But they are aware that not every government in the region was as keen on SOLAS 90 - the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea - as the nations most affected by recent tragedies.

“Obviously nothing could enter into force straight away, because it would involve the redesign of large numbers of existing ships, and there is a limit on shipyard capacity. It is also important not to disturb the free flow of traffic between different destinations,” stressed a Swedish official.

One of the functions of a team from the European Commission which will attend the event will be to ensure overall coordination of the efforts of EU member states and provide an overview of the possible implications of any deal on Union directives on the free movement of goods.

Any agreement will naturally have wide financial implications for a number of ferry operators, who continue to stress the importance of effective operational standards in ensuring safety. However, officials are determined to ensure that tighter construction standards are also part of the equation.

“The shipping industry tends to regard all this as a knee-jerk reaction, but they would, wouldn't they? The costs may be substantial and companies may lose some turn-round time, but industry will have to absorb this,” commented one official.

How much is achieved at the 23-24 January conference will depend on the attitude of nations such as France, which opposed the IMO agreement because of its potential effects on its vessels operating in southern waters, but expressed an interest in a regional deal covering northern waters.

Belgian officials have stressed the importance of applying the stricter SOLAS 90 standards to existing ferries, given that construction for English Channel routes is certain to diminish following the completion of the Channel Tunnel.