The stricken passenger ferry Norman Atlantic had serious deficiencies discovered just nine days before it caught fire in the Adriatic, it has emerged.
The ship, operated by Greek shipping company Anek Lines, was found to have failings with fire safety and its plans for how to handle passengers in the event of an emergency.
An inspection carried out in the port of Patras in Greece on December 19th found six deficiencies, according to Port State Control officials.
Among the concerns were malfunctioning fire doors and openings in fire-resisting divisions.
Plans for the search and rescue of passengers in the event of an emergency were not approved, while emergency systems including lighting, batteries and switches were missing.
Watertight doors were also found to not meet guidelines, and there were problems discovered with life saving appliances.
However none of the deficiencies were deemed to be of sufficient concern for the ship to be detained, the report said.
The Norman Atlantic was built in 2009, weighing 26,904 tonnes and measuring 186m (610ft).
Owned by the Italian company Visemar di Navigazione and sailing under an Italian flag, it is currently on charter to Anek Lines.
The ferry was sailing from Patros in western Greece to Ancona in Italy carrying 478 passengers and more than 200 vehicles when a fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday. By Monday afternoon all passengers were rescued but seven people had died.
PA