By
Rebecca Gibson |
The International Maritime Organization (IM) has produced a new video to help improve the safety of passengers and crew onboard domestic ferries in the Asia-Pacific region.
IMO commissioned the video after a series of regional discussion forums highlighted overloading and overcrowding as the most common (and potentially fatal) issues for passenger ferries operating domestic and inter-island services in the Asia-Pacific region.
The one-minute animated video will be provided free-of-charge to national maritime authorities across the region and will be shown in both ferry terminals and on national TV channels. It provides passengers with three key messages: overcrowding is dangerous, listen to crew and follow instructions.
“Safety standards on domestic passenger ferries should be as stringent as those on international vessels,” said Bekir Sitki Ustaoglu, head of IMO’s Technical Co-operation Division for Asia-Pacific. “We hope that this video will help raise awareness amongst passengers, crew and ferry operators. This should contribute to safer sea journeys for everyone.”