"All clear to set sail!", this could be used to sum up the good results of this year's ADAC ferry test. Almost 77 percent of RoRo passenger ferries were rated as "very good" to "good" and are hence above the average, fulfilling the evaluation criteria of the test. Only eight of the 34 ships tested were rated as "acceptable" or given a negative rating. The poorest rating of "very poor" does not appear at all. The results at a glance: Nine times "very good", 17 times "good", six times "acceptable" and twice "poor".
The winner of this ADAC test with a rating of "very good" is the Italian ferry Excelsior from the Grandi Navi Veloci shipping company that sails between Palermo and Genoa. This is closely followed by second and third place which went to the Sorolla and the Superfast VI which operate between Barcelona and Mallorca (both Spain) and Patras (Greece) und Ancona (Italy), respectively. The testers also discovered the two poorest ships in the western and eastern Mediterranean. The loser in this test, the Flaminia, runs from Olbia on the island of Sardinia to Civitavecchia (both Italy). Second last and only slightly better than last place was the Rodanthi which operates between Piraeus and the island of Paros (both Greece).
Although safety standards have improved significantly on an international scale, the ships operating in the eastern Mediterranean were once again rated somewhat lower. More than half of the new ferries tested there were rated as "acceptable" or "poor". Only the Superfast VI was rated as "very good".
On the routes between Italy and Greece, the Greek shipping companies have introduced new ships in recent years which offer considerable comfort and which at times are even luxury liners. The safety standard on board these ships is good to very good. The ferries are equipped with the latest state-of-the-art and their safety facilities comply totally with international and EU regulations.
However, older ferries which sometimes fail to comply with EU regulations still operate in the inner Greek ferry network that operates between the many islands. Some of these ships run with special permits issued by the Greek maritime safety authorities.
In contrast to this, all the 13 ferries tested in the north were rated as "very good" and "good". The shipping companies operating ferries in the Baltic Sea, North Sea, Irish Sea or the Channel have very high safety standards and are implementing these successfully on board. This is particularly true for the P&O ferries that operate in the Irish Sea and the Channel which had fared very poorly in earlier tests. The European Highlander and the Pride of Cherbourg were even rated as "very good" in this year's test. A total of nine ferries were re-tested this year. The Flaminia and the Ivan Zajc were already tested before in 1998, the Stena Germanica in 1999, the Ichnusa in 1999 and in 2000, the Báhia de Málaga, the Prinsesse Ragnhild and the Trelleborg in 2000 as well as the Pasiphae (Palace) and the Express Poseidon in 2001. With the exception of the Flaminia, which since the test in 1998 fell from "acceptable" to "poor", all the ferries improved or remained unchanged. Unlike during the first time in 2001, the captain of the Express Poseidon refused to co-operate in any way whatsoever. The testers were followed whilst on board and extensively hindered from doing their work.
The results in the individual categories:
The results in the individual categories differed significantly. The poorest results were found in the "safety information" category. On average, only 66 percent of requirements were fulfilled here. Results were closer, with 74 to 82 percent, in the categories "life-saving equipment", "safety management", "construction and stability" as well as "fire protection". The best category in the test was "radio and navigation equipment" which came up with an average of 98 percent of the total possible score.
Safety information
This was the category with the biggest slip ups and a rating of "very poor" was even awarded here. The quality of safety information for passengers leaves a lot to be desired on board many ships. There are either no loudspeaker announcements or if so, only in the native language. Only eight ships were found to have good announcements, sometimes in other languages, and videos were shown with safety instructions. Even though such videos were on board the Trelleborg or the Flaminia, they were not shown. And on board the Atlas, no instructions were given concerning safety.
Demonstrations showing how to use life jackets are rare. Such a demonstration was given on board the Pasiphae Palace, in restaurant, and was very entertaining.
Brochures with safety information during check-in or when purchasing tickets are also seldom to be found. Some shipping companies, for instance, Irish Ferries, offer detailed information on their website concerning safety on board.
Good layout plans for passenger orientation featuring safety instructions were found in around only one third of the ferries tested. Even in the case of new, modern ships such as the Blue Star Paros or the Blue Star Naxos, layout plans showing passengers where they are or where safety facilities can be found are often missing. On board the Greek ferry Ekaterini P, such layout plans were nowhere to be found.
Passenger lists showing the name, age and sex of each passenger were found on two thirds of the ferries tested.
Communication with the crew, which can be a matter of life and death in an emergency, is not always possible on routes with many tourists. Staff at the information desk or in the service area often speak very little English and are completely out of their depth when it comes to matters of safety. On board the Rodanthi, the tester was served a drink after asking where the next assembly point was.
Construction and stability
The age of the ships ranged between two and 33 years. As a rule, new ships are fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and safety facilities, such as evacuation chutes. Older ships are restricted in this context due to their construction and design. Despite this, given good servicing and retrofitting, older ships can in fact have a high safety standard as was demonstrated by Color Line's Prinsesse Ragnhild. This ship that is to be taken out of service at the end of 2004 is in excellent condition and, despite being 23 years old, offers all the safety standards - contrary to the Flaminia, which is the same age, and which was the loser in this year's test.
Almost all the ferries have a black box on board. Only five ships had none on board or it was out of order, as in the case of the "Sorolla".
The car deck was open to passengers during the crossing on around one third of the ships. Passengers are not permitted to stay here because this poses an additional safety risk in rough weather conditions. Surveillance cameras on the car decks and monitors on the bridge were found on all the ships and were in operation. Only on EuroFerrys' Atlántica was video surveillance of the bow door found to be defective on the bridge.
Fire protection
We are pleased to report the only three ships were found to have such serious shortcomings here that they failed to achieve a rating of more than "poor". Almost all the ships are now fitted with sprinkler systems and smoke alarms on the car and passenger decks. Older ships, such as the Trelleborg or the Stena Germanica, are even being retrofitted with very efficient water mist extinguishing systems.
The fire extinguishing points with fire extinguishers, hoses and hydrants were found to be complete and well serviced with only a few exceptions here, for instance the Marko Polo or the Rodanthi. A film of dry foam was stuck to a hydrant on board the Rodanthi.
Fast and easy access to the equipment, however, is often a problem. On board the Atlas, all the fire extinguishing points on the car deck were obstructed by vehicles. In the event of a fire, this would prevent the fast access required.
Life-saving equipment
It was in this category that the two losers in this year's test, the Flaminia and Rodanthi, faired particularly badly. Otherwise, in recent years many ships were fitted with evacuation systems (chutes and life rafts) and a rescue motorboat in addition to life boats and life rafts. A second rescue motorboat was even found on one third of the ferries tested.
Life jackets featured the appropriate distress lights and whistles. Very good life jackets with sleeves, legs and hoods, which in an emergency protect against hypothermia, were found on the Prinsesse Ragnhild. Only on board the Express Poseidon were life jackets found to be old and worn at times - a fact that was already noted in the 2001 ADAC Ferry Test. One problem that also exists with life-saving equipment is that of fast access in an emergency which is often not possible. On the Ekaterini P and the Rodanthi, for instance, the boxes containing life-saving equipment were tied up tightly with ropes.
As a rule, the quantity of life-saving equipment was sufficient on board the ships. Too few life floats were found only on board the Ekaterini P which operates with a special permit between Igoumenitsa and Corfu. In an emergency, people in the water would have to hold on tight to plastic boards - fatal for children and older people.
Other weak points were limited, for instance, to distress lights and whistles missing on life jackets - popular souvenirs among passengers.
Radio and navigation equipment
This category came up with an excellent result comprising one "good" and 33 "very good" ratings. Technical radio and navigation equipment on board all the ships was found to be very good. AIS, the automatic radar identification system, which due to new safety regulations on board must be fitted on all ships operating in international waters, was found to be in use on 30 of the ferries tested.
Safety management
This category also focused on evaluating regular drills which are recorded in the log books. These drills include the starting of emergency pumps and the emergency power generator as well as weekly safety drills in the following fields: fire, leakage, running aground, collision, man over board and evacuation of the ship. In the case of longer crossings with just one crew, emergency drills are an additional burden on the crew and are hence kept to a minimum and only reluctantly held.
During this year's test, the ADAC experts managed to participate in a total of eleven crew drills and were able to gain an impression of training and the crew routine. In eleven other cases, either the shipping company or the captain refused to co-operate. In the case of night crossings, rough weather conditions or short crossings with short stays in the port, it was not possible for the crew to carry out a drill in the presence of the test teams without interrupting operations on board.
What the test teams saw was at times sobering, and certainly differed significantly from case to case. On the Superfast VI and the Excelsior, the fire team was equipped in just a few minutes and ready to act at the fire zone. On board the Pasiphae Palace, however, this took a full 15 minutes and another four minutes before water finally came out of the hydrant with sufficient pressure. In a real emergency, this would have meant the death of the fire brigade in the burning cabin. There was also no concept behind the fire and evacuation drills on board the Vincenzo Florio and the crew was not familiar with the procedures. All in all, the crews were found to be well practiced and well trained on board eight ships only.
The test teams were permitted to take a look at the engine room on 23 ferries. Equipment, condition and competence of the crew were found to be in order.
The positive result of the 2004 Ferry Test is also the result of persistent efforts by the ADAC which since 1996 has been dedicated to achieving higher safety on board European ferries. The publication of the results of the ongoing ferry tests have uncovered poor conditions, irresponsible shipping companies have been exposed, and consumer awareness has been boosted. Successes were also achieved on a political level. Key elements of the ADAC's test methodology were included in EU legislation, for instance in EU directives 98/18/EC and 99/35/EC. The result is greater safety on board Europe's RoRo passenger ferries as demonstrated by the 2004 ADAC test.
EuroTests - EuroTest 2004
