Interferry speaks out about South Korea ferry incident
Ferry trade association, Interferry, has commented on the recent ferry disaster in South Korea pointing out that although fatal ferry accidents are rare in developed countries it doesn’t diminish the industry’s ongoing commitment to advancing safety measures.
It also said it will assist the necessary authorities in their investigation into the incident. Although Interferry currently has no members in South Korea, it has been working with the government of South Korea to provide assistance in improving the safety of domestic routes in the developing countries of Bangladesh and Indonesia.
Interferry said that the safety record within international ferry operations is extremely good in those countries that actively enforce the IMO regulations, which apply to international services.
A spokesman from Interferry told Maritime Journal that it wouldn’t comment on the investigation into to incident at this early stage, but that: “Domestic safety standards, governance and practice will largely depend on the competence of the national authority concerned. Clearly this can vary from country to country. Fatal accidents are rare in highly developed maritime nations such as South Korea.”
To date the greatest concerns have related to developing nations. As such, this was the main impetus for an IMO/Interferry Memorandum of Understanding signed in January 2006, the Partnership for Safety of Non-Convention Ferries, which focuses on operations outside the IMO’s regulatory mandate for international routes. The initiative has made some progress, starting with a pilot project in Bangladesh and then hosting safety forums in south-east Asia in 2011 and 2013.
However, the initiative has demonstrated the need for more concerted action for which IMO secretary general Koji Sekimizu has now suggested a solution. In his opening address at the IMO Legal Committee meeting on 28 April, he called on the membership to approve a new policy direction empowering the IMO to take action on improving passenger ship safety on domestic as well as international routes. Interferry has commended the proposal and said it’s “keen to offer its active support”.
Meanwhile, the investigation into why the Sewol ferry capsized and sank on a routine trip from the port of Incheon near Seoul to the southern island of Jeju continues.
School children were instructed to stay below deck onboard the vessel when it began to sink. Sources say that the crew’s failure to execute proper emergency procedures appears to have been a major factor behind the huge death toll in the tragedy.
All 15 surviving members of the crew with responsibility for navigating the ship have been arrested.
Prosecutors looking into the case said some crew members reported receiving “hardly any” training on safety and emergency protocol and that some may have been temporary workers.
