§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 15 June,Official Report, column 614, what is the difference in procedure for passengers embarking on to survival crafts from roll-on roll-off ferries and catamarans. [30302]
§ Mr. Norris[holding answer 26 June 1995]: This is an operational matter for the Marine Safety Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. M. Bradley to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 28 June 1995:
The Secretary of State for Transport has asked me to reply to your Question about differences in evacuation procedure between roll-on-roll-off ferries and catamarans.The evacuation procedures for passengers embarking into survival craft are governed by the systems in place. For roll-on-roll-off ferries, the main systems are davit launched liferafts or lifeboats, or marine evacuation systems. On some vessels, overside ladders may also be used to reach inflated liferafts if access cannot be gained directly from lower decks.In the case of catamarans, the same options are available, but, due to lower deck levels, it is unlikely that davit launched liferafts or lifeboats would be used.