Passenger Ships (Stability) (Hansard, 19 May 1988)

§ Mr. Channon

All roll-on/roll-off ferries operating in British waters meet international standards of safety. To enhance the survivability of this type of ship following major collision damage the International Maritime Organisation has, as I told my hon. Friend on 3 March, at columns651–54, been developing for several years, and with the United Kingdom's support, improved standards for damage stability requirements. A meeting of the IMO's sub-committee on stability and load lines and on fishing vessel safety last August reported on proposals for revised standards; and my Department commissioned a research project to evaluate the impact of the proposed new standards on roll-on/roll-off ferries, which was to be completed before the new proposals were presented to the IMO's maritime safety committee in April.

The results of that work were put to the IMO in a United Kingdom paper, MSC 55/INF.12, which was circulated to all delegations attending the committee. They show that, relative to the standards currently applying to new ships, the proposed standards would bring about a significant improvement in the survivability of new passenger ships after a major collision. Of a representative sample of 10 ships examined, all of which fully meet the 525W standards that were applicable when they were built, two would meet the proposed new standards without design changes. I am placing a copy of the paper in the Library.

The maritime safety committee, with the United Kingdom's support, endorsed the proposals and it is expected that they will be formally adopted in October for inclusion in the international convention on the safety of life at sea for application to new ships to be built after an agreed future date. The United Kingdom will be pressing for an early implementation date.

This work in the IMO was in progress before the loss of the Herald of Free Enterprise, and has not been undertaken in response to any recommendation of the court of formal investigation into that accident. As my hon. Friend knows from the answer I gave him on 3 March, related work being carried out in my Department in response to the recommendations in the report of that court consists of:

(a) an assessment of all United Kingdom roll-on/rolloff ferries built before the last substantial improvement in damage stability requirements came into force in 1980;
(b) a research programme to examine specific ways, through design changes, of reducing the risk of large volumes of water reaching the car deck of a roll-on/ roll-off ferry, and to prevent such an event leading to a capsize.