I intend to take Questions Nos. 9, 14 and 44 together.
As the passenger vessel St. Columba is registered in the United Kingdom and as the fire on board the vessel on 31 January last occurred while she was outside Irish territorial waters my Department did not have the authority to carry out an investigation into the accident. The marine accident investigation branch of the UK Department of Transport, being the responsible authority, have conducted an inquiry. Sealink, the owners and operators of the vessel, are conducting their own independent inquiry and have already indicated that the report will be made available to my Department so that the benefit of any lessons learned could be passed on to Irish-registered passenger ferries.
As the Norrona is registered in the Faroes, a Danish territory, and as the fire on board the vessel on 9 April last occurred while she was outside Irish territorial waters, my Department, as in the case of the St. Columba did not have the authority to carry out an investigation into the incident. The responsible body in this case is the Danish Maritime Authority and they are conducting an investigation. The B & I Line who were chartering the vessel at the time of the fire are conducting their own internal investigation and will make available to my Department the results of their inquiries. Dyfed Powys police in Wales are conducting a criminal investigation as there are reasonable grounds for believing that arson was the cause of the fire.
Lessons to be learned from the Danish and UK inquiries will be submitted to the International Maritime Organisation, which is the United Nations' specialised agency responsible for safety at sea, for detailed consideration. Amendments to international safety conventions will be made, if necessary, in order to implement any recommendations relating to fire prevention, detection and extinction which that organisation may adopt.
The on-board and shore response to both fires ensured that at no time were either of the vessels, or their passengers and crew, in great danger.
A working group have recently been established by me to examine existing arrangements for dealing with marine fires to prepare a formal marine fire response plan and to identify the resources necessary to implement such a plan. It is proposed to hold exercises at a later date to test this plan. The working group comprise representatives from my Department, the Air Corps, the Department of the Environment, the Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre and the Fire Services.
In January of this year, and before the recent fires, the National Ferry Safety Committee, which are chaired by my Department, held a seminar for senior personnel of Irish-registered passenger vessels. The seminar included a presentation and detailed discussion on fire prevention, detection and extinction which proved of benefit to participating personnel. Further seminars are planned for the future.
My Department were recently in communication with the owners of all passenger ferries operating out of Irish ports and the relevant port authorities stressing the need for constant vigilance in ensuring on-board and port security respectively, and requesting an urgent review of security arrangements. All have responded positively to our request.