Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

1 0 9 The fatal fire on Norman Atlantic was caused by various safety violations, prompting the industry to quickly prioritise fire safety onboard their vessels 2020 amendments to the SOLAS II-1 regulation, which addresses subdivision and damage stability requirements in passenger ships. “The EU is still looking into ways to maintain unilateral requirements that go beyond the international ones, but we believe this is a misguided approach as it is predicated on the notion that today’s ferry designs are no safer than those of the 1990s,” says Roos. “This is simply incorrect, but because the regulatory approach has shifted from prescriptive requirements to more modern probabilistic requirements, it’s impossible to compare the designs of yesterday with those of today. “Now, the very same forces that pushed probabilistic requirements on the industry are concerned that they cannot predict their outcome and are therefore attempting to gold-plate their own standards. This process has gone on for a long time, but it hasn’t tangibly improved anything.” Another key priority for the industry is to improve domestic ferry safety. “Between 2010 and 2019, more than 98 per cent of global ferry fatalities occurred in domestic operations in countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Co- Operation and Development, so after many decades of build-up, the IMO is finally making a proper effort to help these countries and we truly welcome this,” says Roos. “Interestingly, this has not been driven by the Western countries that are investing resources in academic studies, but rather by China, which has taken on a leadership role for Southeast Asia with strong support from the Philippines and Thailand. Interferry is very active on issues pertaining to domestic ferry safety, and we work hard to convince Western IMO Member States to lend their support to addressing real safety problems.” Like many industries, the global ferry sector will also continue to be “ Interferry is very active on issues pertaining to domestic ferry safety” Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Renano