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TSB takes aim at voyage data recorders on ferries | Category: | Safety Editorials (World At Work) | | Published Date: | 01/04/2008 | |
CommentsTSB takes aim at voyage data recorders on ferries
FEDERAL (Canadian OH&S News) -- Only one of seven provincially operated ferries in Newfoundland and Labrador meets a recommendation that ferries over 500 tonnes should be outfitted with voyage data recorders (VDR).
The recommendation is from a Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) report into the March 2006 sinking of the Queen of the North. The ship slammed into Gil Island in British Columbia after crew members had failed earlier to make a routine change of course, the report notes. Two passengers died in the accident.
A VDR, similar to the 'black box' in an airplane, records conversation on a ship's bridge, but it can also capture information about ship speed, course and throttle setting — all of which is very useful to investigators after an incident has occurred, the TSB notes. The Queen of the North did not have a VDR, which "resulted in a more complex and protracted investigation," the TSB says in its report.
Newfoundland and Labrador operates seven ferries over 500 tonnes and one of them has a VDR, says Jennifer Tulk, a spokeswoman for the province's Department of Transportation and Works. Officials in the department are reviewing the TSB report and the recommendation that VDRs be mandated by the federal government, Tulk adds.
"We certainly welcome the call from the TSB," says Anthonie de Hoog, executive director of the Canadian Ferry Operators Association, which represents 16 companies that carry about 45 million passengers annually. One strength of a VDR is that ship captains know their actions are being monitored, which tends to encourage vigilance and the undertaking of proper procedures, de Hoog says.
The TSB report notes that "the maritime industry's experience with VDRs is in its infancy — though the proven benefits from their carriage are already evident. These include the proactive analysis of information stored in VDRs for constant improvement within a company safety management system, and benefits to accident investigators in the form of early and objective identification and communication of safety deficiencies."
De Hoog says it typically costs between $30,000-$40,000 to purchase and install a VDR. "It's not a huge cost, but it's still significant for smaller operators," he says, adding that these operators are less likely to equip VDRs.
BC Ferries to install devices by year-end
Since the Queen of the North sinking, operator British Columbia Ferry Services Inc (BC Ferries) has implemented VDRs on 17 ships and will install the devices on the rest of its fleet by the end of 2008, says a BC Ferries statement. It has also boosted the number of safety training days by nearly 65 per cent and developed a new alcohol and drug policy. Last October, the TSB issued a Board Concern related to cannabis use aboard ferries and recommended that BC Ferries review their alcohol and drug policy. But there was no evidence that the crew members on the vessel's bridge were impaired, the TSB said at the time.
Transport Canada, the federal department responsible for ocean ferries, will respond to the TSB recommendations by mid-June. The department is currently undertaking a feasibility study regarding potential regulatory requirements for VDRs.
Fifty-nine passengers and 42 crew members were aboard the Queen of the North when it collided with Gil Island, southwest of Kitimat, shortly after midnight. The TSB notes that the hull received "extensive damage" and the ship drifted for more than an hour before sinking.
"Essentially, the system failed that night. Sound watchkeeping practices were not followed and the bridge watch lacked a third certified person," Wendy Tadros, chairwoman of the TSB, says in a statement.
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