Lloyd’s List published an article on 20 August titled “Philippines ferry deaths are bound to happen eventually”. The article is authored by the Director of C Solutions Clive Beesley a shipping, legal and insurance consultant who has been dealing with shipping casualty cases for 35 years now. Referring to the accident between the passenger ferry St Thomas Aquinas and the container vessel Sulpicio Express Siete off the coast of Cebu with many lives lost, the article argues that with 50 Million passengers per year statistically accidents just happen. The author stresses that the accidents and the fatalities are of course tragic by any standard, but it is essential to acknowledge that ocean-going ships collide on the high seas with a fair degree of regularity even through such ships are subject to rigorous standards and regulations and the officers and crew are well trained and hold the necessary certificates. He adds that in the Philippines, transporting 50 Million passengers each year, inter-island ferries will also occasionally run into trouble. He goes on to add that this “does mean that when accidents happen, there is sometimes loss of life”. He therefore concludes that such accidents do not necessarily mean that safety standards in some countries are “woefully lacking”. This could actually be a perception which is harsh on some nations, particularly when “Incidents occur even on world-class cruiseships.” For further reading, please follow the link: lloydslist/ll/sector/dry-cargo/article428119.ece
Posted on: Wed, 21 Aug 2013 07:35:08 +0000
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