Having been Merchant Navy, (engine room) and on’t rigs, these documentaries make me sad. Piper Alpha and the Herald were among the worst cases of human incompetence I’ve known in my lifetime.
During the Piper inquiry the last ICI director with a technical background stated
‘A management that discourages its staff to speak up when something is wrong, automatically assumes everything is right’
The post damming statement from the ‘Herald’ programme was Prescott stating the need for a Corporate Manslaughter Bill.
What happened to that?
We know what he’s been busy with!
Nobody will convince me that ‘commercial pressure’ doesn’t overide safety.
The Pride of Free Enterprise is now remaned as M/F Oleander on the Ramsgate - Oostende route.
The Spirit of Free Enterprise is now the M/F Anthi Marina on the Piraeus - Kos - Rodos route.
The Pride of Aquitaine was built in 1991 and never had the FE name, being originally the Prins Filip & Stena Royal before being renamed.
The other FE Boats were Free enterprise (IV, V, VII, VIII) all recieved other names when P & O killed off the Free Enterprise name, shortly after the diaster.
FE IV - Falster-Link
FE V - Pride of Hythe
FE VII - Pride of Walmer then Pride of Rathlin
FE VIII - Pride of Canterbury
Was it really 20 years ago?? Things like this stand out so prominently in your mind it never feels as though it were so far back in time. I know I never felt entirely safe on a ferry again and am still inclined to stay on deck as much as possible on the odd occasion I have had to use them. It is never a pleasure trip for me any more.
