These three incidents demonstrated that the maritime industry still had a lot to learn about safety. Analysts highlighted a variety of shortcomings and a host of regulation changes occurred in the years that followed. These included improvements to evacuation routes, new rules governing the carriage of lifejackets, EPIRBs (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon) immersion suit carriage and a variety of improvements to liferafts such as the compulsory carriage of radar reflectors.

By May 1994, the IMO had even amended SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) procedures to reduce by six months the time that it took for new safety measures to be introduced. This proved to be a prescient decision because on 28th September during a stormy night in the Baltic the ferry 'M/V Estonia' sank whilst en route from Tallinn to Stockholm. 852 lives were lost and the maritime industry realised that it still had much to learn about safety. The sinking had a far greater impact than comparable incidents in the waters of South East Asia or Africa, where loss of life might have been greater. The fact that it occurred in 'home waters' within easy reach of rescue services sounded a wake up call that still resonates.

Shortcomings observed during the Estonia rescue operation resulted in the introduction of the AIS (Automatic Identification System). Invented by Swede Dr Haaken Lans and promoted by SAAB Transpondertech and the Baltic authorities, AIS became a Scandinavian safety mission that eventually reached fruition in July 2002. This day also coincided with the introduction of Voyage Data Recorders (VDR) which, as shipboard black boxes, enable incidents to be analysed.

This analysis can often be performed on ship simulators, which had become a parallel development for improving ship handling. Before 1993 simulators had been the costly preserve of only the wealthiest organisations, so when Transas introduced its Navi-Trainer range, simulator prices plunged making them accessible to a wide range of establishments. As with numerous developments in marine technology, it partly owed its success to the Windows operating system, which provided standardisation and familiarity for users. Instead of reliance upon shipboard training, students could now face challenging situations in safety and emerge as more competent ship handlers. When VDR data is used, the total sensory experience of the modern simulator can recreate an incident with such fidelity that new levels of understanding are now possible.

July 2002 the ISM (Integrated Safety Management) Code was implemented and finally made safety a formal and systematic part of ship operations. Despite this, lifeboats had been largely ignored and davit launched boats had gained a reputation for being dangerously prone to accidental release. When Survival Craft Inspectorate introduced its SafeLaunch release hook mechanism in 2004, it was the first time anyone had made any technical changes to lifeboat design for many years. It was a private initiative taken to address the dangers that existed during lifeboat drills and servicing and it was not until two years later that the IMO introduced recommendations aimed at improving the standards of maintenance.

In the future lifeboats are predicted to become more like rescue pods to enable dry evacuation from a vessel. New designs and materials could eliminate the need for servicing liferafts and lifejackets, perhaps by making them disposable. The pursuit of safety in all aspects will remain relentless and the momentum gained during the past twenty years is likely to be maintained as the industry embraces new technologies and continues to acknowledge its shortcomings.

Paul Eastaugh is a freelance journalist and public relations consultant specialising in the marine and offshore industries.