Working Party Red

On 31st January 1990, with 199 passengers onboard, St Columba was 12 miles west of the South Stack and inbound to Holyhead when an engine room fire occurred just after 1130hrs.

Within seconds of the fire alarm warning, the senior engine room watchkeeper, 3rd engineer Keith Jones, shut off the fuel supply and switched off the engines. His quick thinking and prompt reaction averted what could have become a much more serious situation.

SBF-St-Columba-East-Light-(.jpg (96444 bytes)

Senior Master Capt John Bakewell issued a "Mayday" and passengers were mustered at boat stations in lifejackets. Holyhead lifeboat was launched and helicopters from 22 Squadron, RAF Valley were alerted for a possible evacuation. B&I Line's Leinster stood by all day to assist if required.

Wearing breathing apparatus, St Columba's Working Party Red fire team of 18 engine room and deck personnel tackled the blaze through dense smoke in the area of the port engine room turbo blower - and a minor fire in the funnel casing. The blaze was under control inside 20 minutes and extinguished by the crew within 30 minutes. The 14 Gwynedd firemen airlifted to the ship by 22 Squadron then assisted in mopping-up operations.

Photo: Shortly before the fire, St Columba leaves Dun Laoghaire. © Justin Merrigan

Although she was drifting without power, evacuation of St Columba was not necessary, as SW winds gradually took her further offshore.

"I wouldn't describe the Force 11 conditions as comfortable for our passengers in those circumstances", said Capt Bakewell, "but there was absolutely no drama and everyone reacted extremely well."

The Holyhead tugs Afon Goch and Afon Alaw brought St Columba into port shortly before midnight.

Capt John Bakewell, then senior master of the Holyhead Sealink fleet and master on board on that day recalls the incident.

"When we had the fire on St. Columba I was sitting in my cabin when the 'phone rang. It was our Chief Engineer, John Roberts informing me that we had a fire in the Engine Room.

"We had to stop both engines and after some twenty minutes the fire was brought under control by the crew. Unfortunately with so much oil around it was deemed to be unsafe to attempt to restart the port engine. A tug from Holyhead was sent for, also firemen from Holyhead.

"When the tug was made fast in appalling weather we began the tow towards Holyhead. We were only making one knot for the first few hours but eventually arrived off the breakwater. A very real danger was getting caught in the ebb tide when off South Stack. So course and speed (what there was of it) had to be adjusted so that we would get the benefit of the flood tide off the Stacks.

"Norman Williams, our Purser did a fine job looking after our passengers. We had very little smoke getting into the accommodation because fans had been turned off and fire shutters in position.

"It was a great relief to berth at Salt Island around midnight. I berthed her bow in where it was still possible to discharge cars. Fortunately the bow thrust was working OK!

"The cause was really a design fault. Our 3rd Engineer did really well in shutting down the oil flow immediately and all my crew did a great job. The only injury was to a fireman who broke his arm and the others were seasick!"

An Ceann Comhairle: I must now ask the House to deal with a Private Notice Question from Deputy Gay Mitchell regarding a fire on board the ship St. Columba carrying 250 passengers on the Irish Sea. Will the Deputy put his question?

Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Tourism and Transport if he will make a statement regarding the fire on board the St. Columba which was carrying over 200 passengers on the Irish Sea; if he will assure Dáil Éireann that an emergency plan is in place to deal with the problem and that none of the passengers and crew is in danger.

Minister for Tourism and Transport (Mr. S. Brennan): I am advised by Sealink that at 11.30 a.m. this morning a fire broke out board the St. Columba, The Sealink vessel. It was carrying 199 passengers at the time and it was on its regular service from Dún Laoghaire to Holyhead. The vessel left Dún Laoghaire at 8.45 a.m. this morning so it was obviously close to the port of Holyhead when the incident occurred. Alerts were issued from the vessel and a lifeboat and helicopters from the UK were in attendance. The B & I vessel, the Leinster, was also [103] in attendance. I understand, from my information from Sealink this morning, that the crew of the St. Columba put out the fire themselves and that there were no injuries. I also understand that the vessel is currently being towed into Holyhead Port. The Deputy will appreciate that the information is still coming in and I only received this Private Notice question less than half an hour ago. However, I am assured by Sealink that that is the current information.

Mr. G. Mitchell: Was there more than one fire on board? Does the Minister know whether the fire was accidental? Is he happy about the procedures for ensuring the seaworthiness of passenger vessels on the Irish Sea? Have there been mechanical failures on this ship in the past and, if so, were they a contributory factor on this occasion?

Mr. S. Brennan: The Deputy will appreciate that the fire took place at 11.30 a.m. and my Department are still receiving up to the minute reports from Sealink on the matter. I could not know at this stage whether the fire was accidental.

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones (Ynys Mon) : I am sure that the Leader of the House and the House will be aware that the Sealink ship, the St. Columba, was badly damaged by fire in the Irish sea yesterday. The emergency services undertook excellent work; of the 294 people on board, only one received minor injuries. Will he and the House join me in thanking the emergency services which included the coastguards, the fire service, the RAF at Valley, the social services department, the Women's Royal Voluntary Service, trauma counsellors, the Samaritans, police and all the others who worked so hard to minimise the injuries? He will also be aware that Sealink is conducting its own inquiry to discover the cause of the fire. Will he assure us that, if necessary, the Department of Transport will also undertake an inquiry to find out whether regulations need to be tightened to prevent such incidents? Will he pass on that message, and the congratulations of the House on the work done by the emergency services, to the appropriate Secretary of State?

Sir Geoffrey Howe : I am sure that the whole House would wish me to join the hon. Gentleman in expressing our appreciation of the work carried out by the emergency services which he identified so comprehensively. I shall bring the other matter that he raised to the attention of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. There are virtually routine arrangements to ensure that such matters are considered as a matter of course.

Mr. G. Mitchell: At 11.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 31 January 1990 there was a fire on board the Sealink ship the St. Columba carrying, I understand, 199 passengers and crew. The Ceann Comhairle very kindly allowed me to raise this [2695] issue on that day by way of a Private Notice Question but because it was budget day and the Minister understandably had scant information on the incident, I was not able to go into the question in any great detail. For instance, I was not able to find out if the fire was started deliberately, accidentally, or how it occurred. I raised those questions on that occasion but I did not get any answers. I want to ask the Minister if there was more than one fire on board, the damage caused and the number of injuries suffered by the passengers. What was the extent of the danger and how did the emergency services cope in the circumstances?

At 12.20 a.m. on Monday, 9 April 1990, there was a fire on board the B & I vessel Norrona which, I understand was started deliberately, and caused the death of one passenger and injured nine others. Apparently this fire was a copycat attempt of the holocaust on board a Scandinavian liner the day before. Will the Minister confirm that inquiries into this accident are being conducted on both sides of the Irish Sea and that what is in hand is, in fact, a murder inquiry? There were 219 passengers and crew of 71 on board this ship and there could have been a holocaust. Reports indicate that the fire was started deliberately and I ask the Minister to tell the House if this is so.

Will he state the stage each inquiry is at and precisely when final reports will be available to the House on both incidents? Has the Minister undertaken or caused to be undertaken a review of security for passengers on board ferries using the Irish Sea or Irish ports in general? Is the Minister happy that safety requirements have been reviewed? If this is so in both cases, will he give the details of the reviews and their outcome?

Does the Minister not agree that security at seaports should be every bit as tight and careful as at airports? Will he tell the House whether the Government intend introducing legislation to provide for special penalties for persons involved in [2696] crime of a kind which threaten the lives of persons on sea vessels, particularly passenger ferries, using Irish ports? I have no information on the first incident and I ask the Minister to provide as much information as he can on it so that it can be cleared up here today.

There has been much speculation in the newspapers and on radio and television about the second incident. Unfortunately this House was in recess when the incident occurred and it was not possible to raise the matter directly in the House. As it is almost three weeks since this incident occurred, it is important that this House be given the details of precisely what happened the second fire. I ask the Minister to provide us with as much detail as possible. It is of the utmost importance that we know whether there are serious matters which need to be addressed by this House because as an island State, the safety of our sea vessels must be in no doubt whatsoever.

I want to make it very clear that this side of the House will facilitate the early introduction and passage of any legislation the Government believe is necessary to deal with any problems which come to light as a result of the reviews. This House needs to address this question and I ask the Minister to fill in the blanks so thet we will know where we stand and can decide how to address the matter.

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism and Transport (Mr. Noonan, Limerick West) Minister of State at the Department of Tourism and Transport (Mr. Noonan, Limerick West)

Minister of State at the Department of Tourism and Transport (Mr. Noonan, Limerick West): I would have been very happy to answer the questions raised by Deputy Mitchell if I had got notice of them.

Deputy Mitchell asked to raise on the Adjournment with the Minister for the Marine the question of the safety of sea passengers on the Irish Sea. I will, of course, make every effort to reply to the questions he asked in due course because I want to be as helpful as I can. Indeed I would have been glad to give the Deputy the information he requested if I had received prior notice of his questions.

Mr. G. Mitchell: I hesitate to interrupt the Minister but on the Order of Business this morning I indicated that these were the two questions I wanted to raise.

Mr. Noonan (Limerick West): I have no record of them and as I have stated the Deputy's question related to the safety of passengers on the Irish Sea, which is the question I will be answering. I will reply to the Deputy's questions in due course.

Irish registered passenger vessels are required to be equipped, maintained and operated to the highest international standards and, in particular, to those laid down in the International Maritime Organisation Safety of Life At Sea Convention, 1974, knows as SOLAS. This convention contains provisions concerning life saving appliances, stability, navigational facilities, fire protection, construction, surveys, radio installations and the carriage of dangerous goods. The SOLAS Convention is given legal effect in the State by a set of 33 statutory instruments and passenger vessels registered in the State and foreign registered vessels, while within our territorial waters, are required to comply with the requirements laid down in these instruments.

The marine surveyors of my Department have powers under the Merchant Shipping Acts to detain vessels which do not comply with these requirements. Foreign registered passenger vessels operating from Irish ports are inspected at least every six months by my survey staff under the provisions of the memorandum of understanding on port state control. The latter is an agreement between the maritime authorities of 14 European countries and is aimed at ensuring that ships comply with international safety, pollution prevention and other standards. All deficiencies found during inspection are reported to the port state control computer at St-Malo in France. In addition, vessels may be detained to rectify deficiencies, allowed to proceed to the next port where the deficiencies must be rectified or given 14 days to rectify deficiencies depending on their gravity.

Irish registered passenger vessels are surveyed annually by my marine surveyors and, subject to compliance with [2698] the relevant international safety requirements, are issued with a passenger certificate. Forty vessels now hold valid certificates but only three are engaged on international as opposed to a domestic voyages. Random inspections are carried out by my surveyors in order to ensure compliance with the statutory requirements.

The safety of sea passenger transport has been under review since 1987 when the National Ferry Safety Committee were established. The committee are chaired by my Department's chief surveyor and include representatives from both Irish ferry companies. The committee review safety procedures and standards on board Irish registered ferries, consider any measures necessary to improve safety and make recommendations as appropriate. The committee meet at least six times each year and their work is ongoing. To date, the committee have examined the report of the formal inquiry into the Herald of Free Enterprise casualty and have advocated the implementation, where appropriate, of the report's recommendations here.

Regulations governing such matters as the closing of water-tight doors, supplementary emergency lighting, closed circuit television surveillance, the weighing of goods vehicles and passenger boarding cars are carried out subsequently to implement the recommendations of the committee. The committee have also examined damage control arrangements and plans, shipboard and shore-based management and stability standards in respect of Irish registered ferries. In the short term their work programme includes a review of life-saving and fire appliances, fire protection and detection, training and cargo handling and security arrangements. In addition to conducting specific reviews of safety arrangements on board passenger ferries the committee also monitor closely developments at international level particularly those agreed by the International Maritime Organisation, the United Nations agency responsible for safety of life at sea, in order to ensure the smooth and effective implementation [2699] of new or revised international requirements governing passenger ferries.

The recent fires on board foreign registered passenger vehicles — the St. Columba and the Scandinavian Star — have brought home to us all the more the need for efficient effective onboard and shore safety and response procedures. A working group were established recently to formulate a marine fire response plan, to identify the necessary resources to implement such a plan. It is proposed to undertake exercises at a later date to test the plan. The working group comprise representatives of my Department, the Air Corps, the Department of the Environment and fire services.

In January last the National Ferry Safety Committee held a seminar for senior personnel of Irish passenger ferries. That seminar, which I opened, covered fire prevention, detection and extension and damage control and proved of great benefit to its participants. Additional seminars covering other aspects of passenger ship safety are planned for the future.

I want to assure the House that my Department will continue to ensure that passenger ferries operating to and from Irish ports comply with the highest international safety standards.

Mr. G. Mitchell: Would the Minister tell the House whether the fire on board the St. Columba was an accident and whether there was more than one fire on board? Second, would he say whether there is a murder inquiry taking place as a result of the fire that took place on the second vessel, the B & I vessel, to which I referred when, in that fire on 9 April a person's life was lost and nine people were injured.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: ——as has been indicated, the file here did not so indicate. The Chair can only report on what it has before it and the question to be raised was, as indicated here, the safety of sea passengers.

Mr. G. Mitchell: I raised on the Order of business this morning the specific question of the two vessels concerned. I said that was the earliest opportunity I had had to raise the matter and I was given permission to raise it on the Adjournment. What the Minister has come into this House with this evening is the most disgraceful reply to anything I have ever heard. Could he please answer the two questions I have posed?

Mr. Noonan (Limerick West): The Deputy will know the procedure in this House as well as I do. Had I received notice of those questions I would gladly have answered them. I answered the question down for the Adjournment.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: The Minister indicated that the information the Deputy seeks will be sent to him.

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment (Mr. Connolly): Yes, by letter in the post.

Mr. G. Mitchell: This matter deserves a little more than a letter in the post since in both instances there could have been a possible holocaust with loss of life. That certainly deserves more than a letter in the post. If there is ever another incident of this kind I will haul the Minister over the hot fires for the way he came into this House this evening with that reply. It is grossly disrespectful and——

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: As I have said, as I see it, the Minister answered specifically what his Department advised was the nature of the question.

Mr. G. Mitchell: He had better take a look at the record this morning. I will raise this question again.

An Leas-Cheann Comhairle: He is not obligated to do so, Deputy. He has answered the question. We must now move from sea to land and take the other question on the Adjournment.