Lucky break for France Holliday makers...Norman Atlantic (are Irish ferries safe?)

Jayocam

Must say, it’s a terrible tragedy. Looks like more than the reported 10 people will have been killed on the Norman Atlantic ferry that went on fire off the Albanian cost yesterday. My heart goes out to the passengers and families.

I am surprised however with the lack of reporting from Irish media on the vessel, and the fact that she sailed out of Rosslare until Autumn this year. (as the LDL Norman Atlantic)

Friends of mine sailed for 22 hours on her to France and back in the summer, as did thousands more Irish and French passengers. I nearly did too, but got a deal off Irish Ferries and stuck with the one I knew.

Certainly from what is being reported by passengers being interviewed, it looks like training was allegedly an issue, and there wasn’t even a fire alarm set off.

Begs to ask the question, was it the same crew that operated out of Rosslare? Captain?

As it sails with a foreign flag, who polices our waters for these types of quality control checks?

Makes you wonder, if all ferries are the same. The crews are paid very poorly. I wonder is their training regime up to scratch. Might be worth asking the questions to Irish Ferries and Brittany Ferries….just in case.

This could have been a much worse disaster.

pedroeibar1

I took the NA to St. Nazaire last summer. The crew was professional, the ship spotlessly clean as was our cabin. The food was mediocre, canteen variety. The only issue I had was there was nothing for children to do - no play area, no cinema - for a 20-odd hour voyage. So those with children abandoned all responsibility for their behaviour and let them do as they wanted. The lounge area was just a big romper room.

Tom44

Isn't Irish ferries under a foreign flag ?

The draw back of any roll on roll off ferry is the vast space of flamable cargo.

Fire is always the biggest hazzard on boats for hundreds of years, but it is only the tragic ones we here about.

Not the ones that were brought under control.

wexandproud

any vessel operating from ,or visiting irish ports can be subject to a safety survey at any time by our department of transport marine surveyors, and they are dreaded by most who have any dealings with them because they are so strict about safety regulations and the go to extraordinary lengths to ensure safety.

I sailed to france last year from rosslare and the crew were great, but during a fire drill the hardest part was getting the passengers to take the drill seriously.Total lack of interest in what they were being shown

Atlantic Dawn

Tom44 wrote: »

Isn't Irish ferries under a foreign flag ?

Yes all ships were re-registered in Cyprus.

browniepoints

I sailed from the Corfu to Italy Brendisi line some decades ago.

The ship on that line was ex English channel ferry still with maps of the London underground.

That part the world they dont maintain the ships the toilets were close to unusable so the side of the ship was the urinal wall for the guys .There was no control on numbers so every square foot had sleepers with sleeping bags .Cheap and cheerful but if it caught fire forget it probaly wasnt enough life boats .

The EU laws would be tighter now but probably not as good as what we get on the Ireland France run which i have used frequently.

Jed