Spotlight on Ro-Ro Safety

This week at Maritime Reporter...

The importance of safety on ro-ro vessels comes under the spotlight.

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch released its report into the engine room fire on board the ro-ro Stena Europe and concluded that the ship’s crew were insufficiently trained to inspect engine fuel systems and the temperature measuring equipment used by the crew to monitor the engine exhaust insulation did not effectively identify any hot spots.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has since been requested to submit a paper to the IMO proposing the introduction of a requirement for the use of thermographic equipment to identify exposed high temperature surfaces.

Vessel design plays an important role in safety as explained by ClassNK this week. Vehicle carriers often have accommodation areas and life-saving equipment, such as lifeboats and liferafts, positioned above cargo holds, with ventilation ducts for the holds located close to the accommodation spaces. As a result, flames and smoke from a cargo hold fire can affect these critical areas and evacuation routes, potentially compromising crew safety. In collaboration with shipping companies and shipyards, ClassNK has compiled a list of countermeasures.

Also this week, Fred Finger, Senior Vice President and Head of Operations at American Roll-On Roll-Off Carrier Group (ARC), highlighted that a safety management system, while vital, can only take a company so far. The real change has to be cultural throughout an organization. After five years of human factor analysis, he sees three core principles as important: creating a no-blame culture, accepting and disclosing mistakes and greatly increasing communication.

Ro-ro vessels on short sea passage routes in Europe have seen increasing stowaway activity. The newly released ICS/Witherby publication ‘Shipboard Response to Stowaways and Distressed People in Small Boats - 2025-26 Edition’ advises the owners, officers and crew of merchant ships on how best to deal with people encountered at sea. It covers security and safety procedures, as well as how to ensure compliance with international regulations.

Last but not least, the IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee met this month and expressed concern over the safety of seafarers as a result of the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. The Committee reiterated the industry’s call for the immediate release of the ro-ro Galaxy Leader and the 25 seafarers who have remained captive since its hijacking in November 2023.