TRANSPORT-EUROPE: More Checks on ‘Ro-Ro’ Ferries Urged by Brussels

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Bob Mantiri

BRUSSELS, Nov 22 1994 (IPS) - Transport ministers from the 12 countries of the European Union want an urgent and thorough review of safety standards on the ‘Roll-on/Roll-off’ passenger and vehicle ferries.

During a meeting Tuesday in Brussels the 12 transport ministers agreed that after the disaster with the Baltic ferry ‘Estonia’ last September, the design and equipment, the quality of the crews and the responsibility of the owners and operators of this type of ship must be reviewed and improved.

Some 900 Scandinavians died in the Estonia disaster.

“Everybody agreed that a review is necessary of the evacuation procedures applying to ‘Roll-on/Roll-off’ passenger ferries,” said German Transport minister Kurt Wissmann, who chaired the meeting.

“These includes the procedures, equipment and crew training requirements for rapid evacuation, effective and understandable communication of safety information and for giving evacuation instruction to passengers on board,” he said.

The European Commission has been invited to submit proposals concerning a mandatory requirement that all regular ‘Ro-Ro’ vessels carrying passenger to and from EU ports be equipped with a system indicating accurately the number and names of passengers and crews on board the vessel at any time.

Such information should be communicated to the shore before the vessel leaves its berth of place to which the relevant authorities have immediate access.

The ministers also urged the member states to ensure that their requirements for the application of the guidelines for securing arrangements for the transport of road vehicles on board ferries are correctly fulfilled by ferry operators.

They further urged all European classification societies to assess and tighten up their rules governing the structural elements of roll-on roll-off ferries.

“Special consideration must be given to the contruction and means of securing the doors of these type of ferries which allow vehicle access to vehicle decks,” Wissmann said.

The ministers also urged the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which is responsible for guidelines concerning maritime security, to recommend improvements in the safety of passenger ferries.