Vol. 406 No. 8
8 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for the Marine the steps he is taking to ensure that passengers on B & I Ferries, or any other passenger service on the Irish Sea, do not have to disembark in an emergency by rope ladders as reported in a recent consumer magazine survey.
10 Tomás Mac Giolla asked the Minister for the Marine if his attention has been drawn to the strong criticism of safety standards on two car-ferries operating on the Irish Sea, made in a recent report by the British Consumers Association, in particular the criticism of the use of rope ladders in evacuation procedures; if he intends to take any steps to review safety procedures in the light of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
(Limerick West): I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 10 together.
I am aware of a recent report published by the British Consumer Association that is critical of safety standards on certain ferries operating on the Irish Sea. As Minister with responsibility for safety at sea, I am naturally concerned at any report that is critical of safety standards on board ferries operating in and out of Ireland. Nevertheless, I am satisfied that all such ferries adhere to the highest international standards of safety, including evacuation systems, as laid down by the International Maritime Organisation. Irish registered ferries are required to undergo an annual inspection by my Department's Marine Survey Office for the renewal of their passenger and safety certificates, and foreign-registered vessels using Irish ports may be inspected under the terms of the IMO's Safety of Life at Sea Convention and also the Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, to which Ireland is a contracting party.
In regard to criticism of safety standards on board B & I ferries, I should point out that the most important part of any safety plan on board ship is the ability of the crew to respond effectively to an emergency. In this respect B & I have a good record. Following the fire on board the Norrona last year, the master and crew of the Norrona were awarded a certificate of commendation by the chief fire officer of Dyfed County Fire Brigade in recognition of the manner in which they controlled the fire, effected rescues and ensured the safety of the passengers.
My Department are working on an ongoing basis to ensure that the highest standards of safety are achieved on all ferries using Irish ports, both in the context of the International Maritime Organisation at international level and the National Ferry Safety Committee at domestic level. New regulations have been introduced on foot of the report of the Report of the Formal Inquiry into the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster. Further regulations will be introduced as appropriate, based on the expert advice and recommendations of the Marine Survey Office, the National Ferry Safety Committee and the International Maritime Organisation.
I wish to join with the Minister of State in paying tribute to the crew for the way in which they dealt with the recent event — it could have turned out to be a very bad accident — and would like to think that all future events will be handled in the same efficient way. Can the Minister of State tell us if the new regulations being drawn up will acknowledge that to have a large number of passengers using rope ladders is not the most effective or efficient way of disembarking passengers in the event of emergency? Would he further agree that this is a matter of some concern in relation to the safe evacuation of passengers and could lead to a negative attitude to ferry travel among travellers?
(Limerick West): The Deputy is correct. I want to say that B & I and Irish Ferries vessels comply fully with Irish regulations which are based on IMO standards. Rope ladders will always form an integral part of any evacuation system, at least as an alternative if other systems should fail. New regulations, which will implement amendments to the IMOs Safety of Life at Sea Convention, are currently being prepared. These require that vessels should be fitted with appliances, such as lifeboats or davit launched life rafts, for lowering passengers into the water. These regulations however only apply to vessels built after 1986. It is likely that the retrospective fitting of alternative systems to ferries would require major and, possibly, extensive conversion work. Of the new dry shod systems favoured by Which davit launched systems are excellent. Marine escape systems however which use chutes have not been tried or tested in bad weather conditions. The key to an effective evacuation is a well trained crew. This issue is being addressed by the National Ferry Safety Committee on a continuing basis and at seminars organised by the committee. It is indeed worth noting that following the fire on board the Norrona last April the master crew were awarded a certificate of commendation by the chief fire officer of the Dyfed County Fire Brigade.
is the Minister of State not concerned that there has now been a succession of incidents, including fires on board ferries operating in the Irish Sea, and that a report from the British Consumer Association has criticised the safety standards on board six ferries operating on the Irish sea who evacuate passengers using rope ladders along the sides of ships? Would the Minister of State not agree that this represents a devastating blow at the very beginning of the season for our tourism industry? Can he tell us if he has made any attempt, since the publication of the report, to make contact with the ferry operators to establish if they have any plans to improve their safety standards and introduce the more modern dry shod evacuation methods in an effort to reassure passengers travelling on vessels on the Irish sea?
(Limerick West): The statements made by the Deputy are alarming and incorrect.
The report is alarming.
(Limerick West): Further regulations will be introduced, as appropriate, which will be based on the expert advice and recommendations of the Marine Survey Office, the National Ferry Safety Committee as well as the International Martime Organisation. Those organisations and my Department are in constant contact with the ferries concerned to ensure that they maintain the highest possible safety standards.
When did you last meet with them?
I call on Deputy O'Sullivan. I want to try to deal with other questions. I think the House would agree that progress at Question Time today is particularly sluggish.
But I hope interesting.
Is the Minister of State rejecting the report of the British Consumer Association as inappropriate given that it takes no account of the facilities available on ferries crossing the Irish sea?
(Limerick West): To a certain extent, yes. It has been pointed out that they were selective in the article and ignored the many positive aspects of ferry safety. Furthermore, the firm of consultants engaged by Which magazine have since dissociated themselves from the article. This is enough proof.
The Minister of State has his head in the sand again.
