FERRY operators accept the high costs incurred by new rules about passenger lists but resent that Eurotunnel is not obliged to follow suit, according to Passenger Shipping Association director Bill Gibbons.
Companies are currently gearing up to comply with a new European Union directive that requires them to keep detailed passenger lists, including names, ages, gender and infirmities, by January 2000.
The tightening of procedures is a response to Europe’s worst peace-time ferry disaster, the Estonia tragedy of 1994, in which more than 850 people died.
Gibbons said operators had no argument with the new ruling despite the fact that it was certain to cost them money but they were annoyed no such ruling has been applied to Eurotunnel passengers.
“The ferry companies feel aggrieved this measure has not been applied to Eurotunnel. People will still be travelling on that service without registration and passengers are not even counted, something the ferries have been doing for years. If there is a major incident on the tunnel, this won’t help matters,” he said.
“The ferry industry think it’s very unfair. It believes there should be a level playing field and that customers should be entitled to the same sort of safety however they travel.”
The industry has communicated its anxieties about the situation to the Department of Transport, Environment and the Regions, which has taken responsibility for the implementation of the EU directive, but was told that the ruling was a maritime measure.
A Eurotunnel spokesman said: “From the ferries’ point of view, it’s a search and rescue scenario we are talking about here and that’s why passenger details are important. This does not apply to Eurotunnel. The Channel Tunnel Safety Authority oversees safety issues for the tunnel and introducing passenger lists will not boost safety.”
The passenger list ruling is set to cost ferry companies dearly, particularly those operating intensive routes.
Gibbons said: “The ferry operators and ports are going to have to look at ways of using more technology and finding more space in the ports for passengers while registration details are taken.
“We don’t know what will happen yet. What we do know is that it will all cost a great deal of money.”