LAST YEAR'S capsize of the roll-on roll-off ferry Herald of Free Enterprise close to Zeebrugge Harbour entrance, brought sharply into focus the need for emergency services on land and at sea to be alert and ready to cope with the myriad problems which arise in such tragic circumstances.

For Captain Rod Shaw, station honorary secretary of Harwich lifeboat and the Harbour Master for the busy east coast port, the Herald incident gave fresh impetus to the emergency planning he and others with a relevant interest have been piecing together and fine-tuning since another ferry, the European Gateway capsized off Felixstowe in 1982.

Captain Shaw was one of the principal speakers at this year's Safety at Sea and Marine Electronics Exhibition and Conference (SASMEX '88) in London, at which he presented his paper "Contingency planning—the role of the harbour authorities in ship accidents".

He told delegates that although it would be wrong to suggest that incidents today occur more frequently or are of any greater severity than in the day of the Mary Rose, it was a fact that contemporary seaborne disasters receive greater publicity, heightening public awareness beyond the level of previous eras. "Port authorities are under increasing pressure, quite rightly, to produce contingency plans to accommodate any incident that may occur within their area of jurisdiction.

The problem facing active ports is that the types of emergency that could occur are so numerous," he said.

In formulating a contingency plan, the points which ports and harbours need to consider include: • The type of incidents which can occur; • Their magnitude and escalation potential; • The facilities readily available; • The availability of trained personnel; and • The assistance required from other services and authorities.

Ports and harbours, shore services(police, ambulance, etc) and HM Coastguard each have their own emergency plans and it was essential that there was the utmost co-operation between these three groups to bring about a successful conclusion to any major incident, said Captain Shaw.

Taking Harwich Harbour as an average example, Captain Shaw said the port coped with 24,000 annual shipping movements; had frequent passenger sailings with up to 2000 people on board; large restricted container vessels using the same navigation channel; movements of chemical and LPG tankers; a four mile channel approach; five independent or port berth operators and was bounded by two county councils (Essex and Suffolk) and three district councils.

"At the last count there were 32 separate services or authorities to consult with in order to produce a master plan for the harbour area" he said.

"In a major harbour plan it is usual for the marine authority to plan up to the quay wall, with the shore services co-ordinating on land. In practice this can lead to a grey area at the quay." At Harwich it was believed that there should be an adequate overlap. The -marine plan should cover up to the reception area ashore and the shore plan should include representation afloat.

The Harwich plan has been geared to deal with the worst scenario—an accident involving a passenger vessel.

Specific problems were identified as: • Numbers involved; • Multi-nationals travelling on ferries; • High percentage of possible casualties and deaths; • Access to the incident; • Availability of specialised equipment; • Communications; • Co-ordination on scene; • Co-ordination of response; • Press and media involvement.

The Harwich plan calls for shore support to be sent to the incident immediately, as time is of the essence; specialised equipment to be available without delay; extensive communications facilities; air support and preplanned manning.

Other areas which need to be considered include the provision of adequate mortuary facilities; the availability of interpreters and welfare assistants; the need to make sure that key personnel are adequately trained and that, should they leave the area, competent replacements are equally prepared to step in; the need to keep road accesses clear for emergency vehicles to reach the quayside and the recognition that any major incident of this nature is bound to attract sightseers, who will need to be policed..