The Swansea-Cork ferry City of Cork, which has been prevented from sailing because of safety concerns raised by the British Maritime and Coastal Agency (MCA) in Swansea, was given the all-clear last night and will resume services today. On Tuesday the vessel, owned by Hellenic Mediterranean Lines, was impounded by the MCA when members of the Greek crew could not satisfy the maritime authorities as to their competence during safety drills.
The drills required the crew members to role-play in designated emergency situations. Last March the vessel had to cancel four sailings between Swansea and Cork when the same crew failed similar tests.
Ten sailings were cancelled, with 1,500 passengers having to make alternative arrangements.
Swansea-Cork Ferries and the owners of the vessel are nearing agreement on a six-figure compensation claim for the disruption caused then, and the Cork based ferry firm is now preparing a second claim based on losses brought about by this latest disruption. The Greek crew were supplied by the ship's owners as part of the charter agreement. Negotiations are continuing between Swansea-Cork Ferries and another ferry owner for a larger vessel to replace the City of Cork on the route next March. In a recent survey the firm estimated the value of the Cork-Wales service to the southwest at £27 million annually.
Today in Cork Mr Seamus McLoughlin, the deputy chief surveyor at the Department of the Marine, will meet Mr Thomas Hunter McGowan, chief executive of Swansea-Cork Ferries, to discuss how new safety arrangements could be put in place which would satisfy both the Irish and British maritime authorities.
Mr Hunter McGowan said the charter agreement did not allow the operator a role in safety training. Such a role, he said, was mandated to the owners under international protocols. The issues that arose had nothing to do with the overall safety of the vessel or its sea worthiness, he stressed.
Yesterday's inspection in Swansea was conducted by senior officials of Lloyds Register, the classification society for shipping, and by officials from Hellenic Mediterranean Lines.
The Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, said yesterday that he could not tolerate any breaches in safety on passenger ferries. His officials had been very vigilant in monitoring the vessel, although it was the British MCA which had impounded the ship for a second time.