Ferries: Safety

(asked on 29th August 2014) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the current level of compliance is with the (a) Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo) Regulations 1988, (b) Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo) (Amendment) Regulations 1989 and (c) Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo) (Application to non-UK Ships) Regulations 1989 at each UK port licensed to operate passenger ferry services.


Answered by
John Hayes Portrait
John Hayes
This question was answered on 5th September 2014

Shipping companies are required to have in place procedures for ensuring that the weighed weights of trucks are used for stability calculations, and these procedures are documented in the ships Safety Management System which is audited regularly by surveyors of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). MCA surveyors inspect car ferries in operation, and part of the checks confirm that the ships' masters are correctly using the weight information supplied by weighbridges.

As a result of these proactive audit process the MCA does not routinely collect information on compliance with the Merchant Shipping (Weighing of Goods Vehicles and other Cargo) Regulations 1988 (as amended).

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