Global cruise industry to adopt new safety measures
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Cruise lines are to adopt three new policies following a safety review by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA) and the European Cruise Council (ECC).
The new policies will address issues related to passage planning, personnel access to the bridge and lifejackets ‘which go beyond the strictest of regulatory requirements’.
Recommendations from CLIA and ECC, made by ECC chairman Manfredi Lefebvre, said each ship’s passage plan is to be drafted by a designated officer, approved by the master and be thoroughly briefed to all bridge team members well in advance of implementation. To minimise disruptions on the bridge, bridge access will be limited to those with operational functions during periods of restricted manoeuvring or when increase vigilance is required. And in addition to the statutory requirement of carriage of lifejackets for each person onboard, cruise ships will carry additional adult life jackets beyond the legal requirement. This ensures that the number of lifejackets carried is far greater than the number of persons actually onboard the ship.
The three new policies will be reported to the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization (IMO) for consideration at their next session in May. The new policies follow the industry’s announcement on 27 January of an operational safety review in wake of the Costa Concordia disaster which killed 32 people.
