IMO Approves EEDI for Ferries and RoRo's

May 21, 2013

Interferry News Release

A sector-specific Energy Efficiency Design Index (EEDI) for new ro-ro cargo and ro-pax vessels was agreed at last week’s session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee – MEPC 65 – in a decision hailed by trade association Interferry as a victory for common sense.

Formal approval was confirmed late on Friday (May 17) for an Interferry-backed modification that will take effect from 2016 as an alternative to the ‘one-size-fits-all’ standard EEDI formula in force since January this year for tankers, bulk carriers and container ships.

The standard formula was agreed at MEPC 62 in 2011 but short sea operators objected that it did not address the sector’s specialised power requirements and widely varying ship types. They were granted a two-year extension to develop fairer solutions after arguing that the standard version focused on reducing design speed rather than optimising vessel design – an approach that Interferry says would have strangled the ability to replace ships in the host of markets that compete with road transport.

Canadian Officer Guilty of Criminal Negligence

May 14, 2013

The Vancouver Sun

The navigating officer in charge of a passenger ferry that struck an island and sank off the coast of British Columbia seven years ago, killing two passengers, was convicted Monday of criminal negligence causing death. He will be sentenced June 21, though his lawyer said he's already considering an appeal.

The Queen of the North was on a routine overnight voyage down B.C.'s Inside Passage, when, shortly after midnight on March 22, 2006, the ship missed a scheduled turn in a body of water known as Wright Sound. The ferry struck Gil Island and sank.