§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the purpose of his visit to a roll-on roll-off ferry following the sinking of the Estonia; and what was the link between the exercise he witnessed and the disaster in the Baltic sea. [29299]
§ Dr. MawhinneyAs soon as preliminary investigations linked the cause of the Estonia accident to a failure of the bow door mechanism, I asked the Marine Safety Agency to carry out precautionary checks on the bow doors of all ro-ro ferries operating to and from United Kingdom ports. These inspections involved an examination of the bow door structure and locking system, a hose test to verify the watertight integrity of the doors and checks of surveillance equipment. Operational and reporting procedures were also examined.
I was informed regularly of the progress of the inspection campaign, and I visited a ro-ro ferry in Dover to witness the comprehensive tests that were being carried out by MSA surveyors.