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Report on Marine Atlantic incident emphasizes ferry safety Review of provincial ferry training and procedures needed November 3, 2005
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Wally Andersen, Opposition Transportation, Works, Labrador and Aboriginal
Affairs Critic and MHA for the District of Torngat Mountains, is calling on
the provincial government to do a safety review of the provincial ferry
system in light of the recommendations made regarding a fire on a Marine
Atlantic ferry two years ago. "Given the nature of some of the problems which have been identified since that fire took place, it would be useful to do a complete review of safety procedures in the provincial ferry system," said Andersen. "This might be best done by having an external safety audit done with the report being released to the public so everyone can be confident about the safety of travel on these vessels. If serious safety issues existed within the Marine Atlantic ferry system, then it is very likely that problems may exist with the provincial fleet. The Liberal MHA says the report of the Transportation Safety Board raised a number of issues specifically about the Marine Atlantic situation that lead to similar questions about safety on other ferries, including those operated by the provincial government. "I would like to know if the crew on these vessels have passenger safety management training to help them deal with situations like fires or other problems on vessels. I would also be interested to know if all crew members have received training in the use of equipment which might be needed should an emergency situation arise. Are alarms and other safety equipment properly placed and working the way it should? It is important that the people who use these ferries have confidence that proper safety procedures are in place and it is government’s responsibility to put in place proper policies and procedures." The recently released report (October 27, 2005) on the Marine Atlantic fire indicated that a number of problems existed which compromised passenger safety. Problems were identified with the location of alarms and lack of management safety training. The Marine Branch of the Department of Transportation and Works oversees the operation of 20 vessels in the province; 10 vessels owned and crewed by the department, 2 vessels owned by the department and operated by the private sector and 8 vessels owned and operated by the private sector under contract to the department.
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