Ferry stability 'not calculated'

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The stability of a cargo ship that ran aground off the coast of Lancashire was not calculated before she set sail, an official accident report said.

Some openings on the Riverdance's main deck were open despite forecasts of poor weather, the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (Maib) said.

The true weight and disposition of cargo on the 6,041-tonne vessel were also not known, the report added.

Twenty-three people were rescued from the vessel off Cleveleys last year.

The ferry was travelling from Warrenpoint in Northern Ireland to Heysham in Lancashire on 31 January when it was hit by a freak wave.

In its report, the Maib also said the ballast on the roll on, roll off (ro-ro) vessel, operated by Seatruck Ferries, was never adjusted according to cargo or expected weather.

The owner's shore-based crisis management team did not have access to accurate stability information Maib report

It was also not going fast enough for the weather conditions on the night of the incident.

After it was hit by the wave, the Riverdance began rolling heavily to port causing trailers and their contents to shift.

Water got on to the main deck, the main port engine failed and the vessel drifted towards shallow water, where it grounded.

Attempts were then made to redistribute the ballast to compensate for the expected port list once the vessel refloated on the rising tide.

But because the disposition of the weights on board was unknown, the operation was based on estimates.

"The owner's shore-based crisis management team did not have access to accurate stability information," the report added.

The vessel became a tourist attraction for people visiting the coast

"Had this been available, they would have been able to provide better support to the master."

Riverdance drifted closer to the shore at Shell Flats, Cleveleys Beach, near Blackpool, before grounding again and coming to rest on its starboard side.

Severe weather prevented the vessel from being refloated and attempts to salvage her failed. The Riverdance was finally dismantled.

The Maib said it had made safety recommendations to Seatruck Ferries, which had taken action.

It also recommended that the Department for Transport (DfT) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) conduct "an urgent study into stability and operational issues which impinge on the safety of ro-ro vessels operating from UK ports".

Safety recommendations were also made to a number of other authorities in the report, which was published on Thursday.