§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what information he has about the minimum time it would take for a roll-on/roll-off ferry to capsize:
(2) what information he has about the expected time in which a roll-on/roll-off ferry would capsize in the event of collision.
§ Mr. David MitchellIf a roll-on/roll-off ferry is loaded correctly, operated in a safe and competent manner, and does not receive structural damage in excess of that assumed in the internationally agreed standards, there is no reason why it should capsize.
§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has about the number of collisions in which roll-on/roll-off ferries have been involved for each year since 1983.
§ Mr. David MitchellThe number of collisions in which United Kingdom roll-on/roll-off ferries have been involved for each year since 1983 is as follows:
Year Number 1983 4 1984 4 1985 2 1986 3 1987 3 1988 0 In addition, since 1983, there have been seven incidents involving non-United Kingdom roll-on/roll-off ferries in collision with United Kingdom ships of other types.
§ Mr. Tony LloydTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration was given to the vulnerability of roll-on roll-off ferries to rapid capsize in determining the maximum evacuation time of 30 minutes under the passenger ship safety regulations.
§ Mr. David MitchellThe 30-minute period prescribed to evacuate a passenger ship was first introduced by the 1960 international safety of life at sea convention, and has been repeated by successive conventions. The primary aim was to set a realistic target time in which to evacuate all the persons on board any passenger ship.