As seen from the case studies given above, some ferry captains seem to be willing to take the risk of going out in chancy weather, while others get caught out by sudden storms that blow up before their ships can change course. One strategy is to improve weather detection and dissemination to have accurate information about when typhoons are coming. In addition, it may be possible to remove the disincentives that dissuade captains from returning to port when the weather turns bad, such as docking fees. These strategies will be discussed at the Technology and Ferry Safety Conference being convened by the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association in New York City in April 2014. Cargo loads and overcrowding It is easy to understand the temptation to take on more cargo and passengers than recommended for a size, since larger loads and more fares per trip mean a direct vessel’s increase in profits. Without direct government regulation and heavy enforcement, it is hardly likely that ferry operators will end the risky practice of overloading on their own. Instead, would it be possible to alert passengers to the dangers of overcrowding, and encourage them to put the pressure on operators? A public interest advertising campaign about how to recognize unsafe conditions on ferries, along with the establishment of a hotline where passengers can leave tips about unsafe cargoes and overloaded ferries, could prove a productive and cost-effective way to combat this problem. Another concern with the transport of large cargoes on passenger vessels is the risk that companies will allow hazardous—and even downright lethal—loads into vessels shared with people. One example of this is the accident, in which a MV Maria Carmela large cargo of copra may have been the source of the fire that killed 47 people. Copra is so flammable that it is included in class 4.2 of the International Maritime Dangerous
As seen from the case studies given above, some ferry captains seem to be willing to take the risk of going out in chancy weather, while others get caught out by sudden storms that blow up before their ships can change course. One strategy is to improve weather detection and dissemination to have accurate information about when typhoons are coming. In addition, it may be possible to remove the disincentives that dissuade captains from returning to port when the weather turns bad, such as docking fees. These strategies will be discussed at the Technology and Ferry Safety Conference being convened by the Worldwide Ferry Safety Association in New York City in April 2014. Cargo loads and overcrowding It is easy to understand the temptation to take on more cargo and passengers than recommended for a vessel’s size, since larger loads and more fares per trip mean a direct increase in profits. Without direct government regulation and heavy enforcement, it is hardly likely that ferry operators will end the risky practice of overloading on their own. Instead, would it be possible to alert passengers to the dangers of overcrowding, and encourage them to put the pressure on operators? A public interest advertising campaign about how to recognize unsafe conditions on ferries, along with the establishment of a hotline where passengers can leave tips about unsafe cargoes and overloaded ferries, could prove a productive and cost-effective way to combat this problem. Another concern with the transport of large cargoes on passenger vessels is the risk that companies will allow hazardous—and even downright lethal—loads into vessels shared with people. One example of this is the MV Maria Carmela accident, in which a large cargo of copra may have been the source of the fire that killed 47 people. Copra is so flammable that it is included in class 4.2 of the International Maritime Dangerous
Philippines%20Report%20[6].docx