RINA launches ferry safety scheme

The scheme covers fire risk mitigation, single-failure risk assessment, enhanced planned maintenance and condition-based monitoring and also food and bacteriological risk management. Specific training for ro-pax crews, including behavioural training to avoid and manage crises, is also covered.

All of the components are brought together under one Best Management scheme to monitor and follow up the component parts in operation. The project builds on RINA’s recent work with cruise and ferry operators – including Carnival, MSC Cruises and Moby Lines – to extend tailored risk management services to the marine industry. The society boasts 300 ferries in its class.

Paolo Moretti, general manager marine, RINA Services, said: “Our experience shows that operation and maintenance of these vessels merit particular attention. Extending targeted risk-management to ro-pax operation will bring benefits for operators and in overall safety.”

The first company to use the new package is Grimaldi Lines, which will implement the measures on the 22.5 knot, 954-passenger ro-pax vessel Florencia.

“What we are doing is bringing the disciplines used in offshore industry into passenger ship operations,” explained Moretti. “It began with a hot spot analysis service and we have extended that to a Single Point of Failure standard approach.

“The scope of this analysis is to assess the risk associated with a single failure of particular equipment or systems which may have severe consequences on the ship’s service and operation and to identify the most appropriate mitigating measures to be implemented. The analysis evaluates the ship’s system availability in the case of any single failure.”

RINA said that the scheme goes beyond prescriptive requirements and can be tailored to the individual circumstances, ships and routes of each operator.