Page 16: of Marine News Magazine (January 2022)

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Passenger Vessels posed and this must be mirrored by the support of govern- speci? c safety regulations for high-speed craft (HSC) set ments, ports and energy companies. out in the HSC Code, under which vessels must have

As you will sense, pandemic or not, our lobbying mission a minimum design speed, typically 30-40 knots. In re- continues unabated. Among numerous other issues, Inter- cent years this requirement has been questioned due to ferry is an integral member of an IMO ro-pax ? re safety GHG emissions reduction targets, coupled with the fact correspondence group established to draft unresolved SO- that many operators have reduced speeds to cut costs. In

LAS amendments due in force from January 2024. Having 2019 Interferry established an industry consortium with made great progress, the group will present its ? ndings to aluminum ferry manufacturers Austal and Incat, and the IMO’s Ship Systems and Equipment sub-committee classi? cation society DNV to review the implications of in March for potential adoption. Meanwhile, as coordina- removing or adjusting the current requirement. We in- tor of input from 11 Interferry operators, we are among tended to submit our proposals to the IMO in 2020, but 27 research and industry partners in the European Union’s due to COVID-induced deferrals we now expect to do so four-year LASH FIRE project—launched in 2019—which later this year. most recently hosted a virtual conference suggesting a Last but not least, thanks to our leading role in help- string of operational, technical and insurance innovations. ing to improve ferry safety in the developing world, we

In another initiative, we are calling for revisions to the are delighted that the IMO’s model domestic regulations, “Interferry and its membership of 260 operators and suppliers in 40 countries will continue working together to ensure commercial and regulatory readiness for the better times that surely lie ahead.” © Aidan / Adobe Stock 16 | MN January 2022