Shipping Registry still investigating sinking of Erika
by Ivan Brincat
The Merchant Shipping Registry of the Malta Maritime Authority is still investigating the cause of the split in two of the Maltese registered oil tanker Erika. The 1975-built Erika had passed three Port State control inspections in the past six months and also underwent its annual survey on 24 November with a certification valid for one year.
The executive director of the Shipping Registry told The Malta Business Weekly yesterday that he was leaving no stone unturned in a bid to identify the cause of the incident.
"It would be imprudent to state what might have happened on the day," Lino Vassallo said.
"However, since the accident took place on 12 December, we have been working very hard to identify the cause of the split in two."
Moreover, he pointed out that the whole shipping industry was anxious to get to know what happened because it is not common for an oil tanker to sink.
"Had there been any irregularities, it would have been simple to determine the cause, but so far we are still trying to gather what has happened."
What is sure is that the ship master has told the authorities that the vessel had encountered storm force 12 and was heading for the shelter of the port of Donges.
The shipping registry is still trying to identify the sequence of events that took place on the day when the tanker broke in two, an accident that led to one of the greatest ecological disasters in Europe in recent years.
A Maltese inspector had travelled to France less than 24 hours after the incident to investigate the matter. All crew members on board the Erika were interviewed in the Port of Brest and when the ship's master was released from jail, he was also questioned at length on the cause of the shipwreck.
While some have been asking why the MMA asked for an investigation into the matter, Mr Vassallo said that the shipping registry treats every case seriously. "All incidents, whether big or small, are investigated thoroughly."
The shipping registry has kept in constant contact with the French authorities and in fact they have been cooperating on the matter since the incident took place. In fact discussions have also been held with the Marine Casualty Investigation Board within the French Ministry of Transport.
The Maltese ambassador in France has also spoken to officials in the Transport Ministry to explain Malta's position.
Mr Vassallo has also gone to Genoa to speak to RINA, the Italian Classification Society. "We have looked at all the files related to the ship and monitored what work was carried out. The documentation on the ships is very detailed."
The director also said that the ship operators were contacted and all the necessary documentation on the management of the ship was looked into. He said the tests that are carried out on a ship every five years are very stringent.
The Erika had in fact held Safety Construction, Load-Line and Safety Equipment certificates together with an ISM certificate and Document of Compliance, all valid until August 2003.
"From all the information we have gathered we are now trying to find a sequence of events that took place."
Mr Vassallo said oil tankers are extremely well built and are among the strongest ships in the shipping industry. Discussions were also carried in Paris with the Bureau Veritas which used to certify the ship before RINA.
He said that for the past two weeks, the shipping registry has been sifting through all documentation.
The shipping registry has also looked into the communication that took place between the ship and the outside world. "There was a lot of contact from the ship and all communication equipment was in place."
The owners of the ship also have other ships registered under the Italian flag. The Erika had also been certified by Total Fina and other oil majors and these have very rigorous standards.
The shipping registry said it knew the ship's history because it had been on the Maltese registry since December 1990. "There have never been any problems with the Erika. It was always certified according to international standards."
Mr Vassallo defended the accidents on Maltese registered ships saying the law of averages should also be taken into consideration. "The more ships you have registered, the greater the chance of accidents." Currently, Malta is the fourth largest ship register in the world with nearly 28 million tonnes or 1,600 ships. However, Mr Vassallo still stressed that one accident was one accident too many. Mr Vassallo said Malta was not a flag of convenience .
"When an incident takes place the flag does not matter. But it is our duty to investigate any matter," he said.
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