asked the Minister for the Marine if he has satisfied himself that ferries operating to and from Ireland meet with national and international safety standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
17.
Written Answers. - Safety Standards on Ferries.
4.
asked the Minister for the Marine if all car ferries operating to and from ports in this country have been inspected by surveyors from his Department; if all such ferries meet the highest possible safety standards; if his attention has been drawn to reports that a number of Sealink ferries did not meet the new standards introduced by the British authorities in the aftermath of the Zeebrugge disaster; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
26.
asked the Minister for the Marine if he has satisfied himself that the Sealink owned Earl Harold ferry chartered by B & I, fulfils all safety regulations; and the steps he has taken to ensure that all ferries serving Irish ports are of the highest safety standards.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 4, 17 and 26 together.
The foreign registered passenger ferry Earl Harold has been chartered from Sealink by the B & I Line to serve summer traffic on the Rosslare to Pembroke route. The vessel recently underwent her scheduled annual overhaul and has been surveyed in the United Kingdom in order to ensure compliance with the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea. The United Kingdom Department of Transport subsequently issued a Passenger Safety Certificate in respect of the vessel detailing her compliance with the relevant international requirements.
The Earl Harold was inspected under Port State Control arrangements by marine surveyors from my Department on her arrival in Rosslare on 10 April 1989. The vessel was further inspected by my survey staff on 11 and 21 April and they are satisfied that the vessel complies fully with all applicable Irish, UK and international safety, pollution prevention and other standards. Sealink passenger ferries are inspected every six months also under Port State Control arrangements by my Department's surveyors. The Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control is an agreement between the maritime authorities of 14 European countries aimed at ensuring that ships comply with international safety, pollution prevention and other standards. All deficiencies found during inspection are reported to the Port State Control Computer Centre at Saint-Malo, France. In addition, vessels may be detained to rectify deficiencies, allowed to proceed to the next port where the deficiencies must be rectified or given 14 days to rectify the deficiencies, depending on their gravity. Under the Port State Control Memorandum, each member state undertakes to achieve an annual total of inspections corresponding to 25 per cent of the estimated number of individual foreign merchant ships, as distinct from ship's movements, which entered its ports during a 12 month period. During 1988, 246 foreign registered vessels were inspected while in Irish ports. Twenty-six of these were detained by my surveyors until deficiencies identified during the inspection had been rectified.
Three passenger ferries are registered in the State and under existing legislation these are subjected to an annual survey by my Department's marine surveyors for the renewal of their passenger and safety certificates. These certificates which detail crew requirements and the number of passengers permitted to be carried, are only issued when the vessels are considered to be in a seaworthy condition. The operators of these Irish-registered passenger ferries are also represented on the National Ferry Safety Committee, which was established in October 1987. The committee, which is chaired by my Department's Chief Surveyor, reviews safety procedures and standards on board Irish-registered ferries, considers any measures necessary to improve safety and makes recommendations, as appropriate, to the ferry operators and to myself.
All vessels registered in the State and foreign registered ships when in an Irish port or territorial waters must comply with the provisions of the International Maritime Organisations Safety of Life at Sea Convention, 1974. A set of 21 statutory instruments was executed in 1983 in order to give legal effect to the convention while a further set of 12 instruments giving effect to the First Amendments to the Convention was executed in 1985. The rules concern such matters as life-saving applicances, stability, navigational facilities, fire protection, construction, surveys, radio installations. Stability requirements are set out in the 1983 and 1985 Passenger Ship Construction Rules which apply the standards provided for in the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea Convention. The convention does not apply certain stability requirements to ships built before 1 September 1984. The United Kingdom authorities have now sought to ensure that all its passenger ferries, irrespective of age, comply with the stability standards laid down in respect of ships built after 1 September 1984 and for this reason UK shipowners, including Sealink, were asked to carry out detailed stability calculations on all their passenger ferries. Ships which on the basis of these calculations do not comply with the stability requirements for newer ships will, it is intended, be phased out or modified.
The UK initiative in so far as stability requirements are concerned has not been adopted to date by the International Maritime Organisation, which is the United Nations agency responsible for safety of life at sea and therefore is not a requirement internationally. My surveyors will continue, therefore, to survey vessels in respect of compliance with the stability requirements of the 1974 Safety of Life at Sea Convention, which are the highest standard in force internationally.
There is no evidence to suggest that passenger ships built before September, 1984 would not comply with the stability requirements relating to newer ships. Indeed the Herald of Free Enterprise which sank in March, 1987 did comply with these requirements.