Master alleges safety shortcomings on Gozo ferries

A Senior Master on the Gozo ferries has filed a judicial protest against Gozo Channel accusing it of violating a number of safety procedures and ignoring his pleas for remedial action.

Captain Mario Grech said masters were being forced to operate in violation of safety regulations and the safety management system of the International Ship Management as laid down in the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS).

Capt Grech said he was being discriminated against by the company for drawing its attention to the shortcomings.

Listing some of the more serious shortcoming, Capt Grech said the company was not allowing enough time for the crews to practice emergency drills. There had been a case where the company wanted a ferry to carry the maximum number of passengers it could take, but Capt Grech said he refused because the crew was not adequately trained to handle all the passengers in case of an emergency.

Capt Grech said the masters were not being given the facility to verify the competence and training of their crews, especially crew members who changed from day to day. There had been an occasion where he was assigned a bosun who lacked the necessary qualifications and Capt Grech said he strongly suspected that documents he had produced were fakes.

He said that last June, three of the ferries were found to have their water tanks contaminated with legionella. The water supply was shut off to all areas, including the toilets and, in an abusive manner, the captains were ordered to explain to any passenger who asked, that there was a fault in the pumps. The company dragged its feet in the cleaning of the tanks, such that he had to refuse to operate his vessel until the tanks were cleaned and treated.

There had also been cases where rescue equipment was removed for maintenance, without being substituted even while the ferries remained in service. In this case too, Capt Grech said, he had refused to sail his ferry until the equipment was replaced.

He also complained that after he had pointed out shortcomings in the way ferries were loaded on the Sa Maison-Mgarr route, he was taken off the route instead of matters having been remedied .

Turning to administration, Capt Grech said overtime and allowances were not being fairly allocated.

He also claimed that a chief officer was promoted to captain despite having previously been failed by a selection board because he lacked qualifications.

Capt Grech called on Gozo Channel to regularise its position and to avoid the repetition of cases such as those he had listed.

The protest was filed in the Gozo Court and signed by Dr Kevin Mompalao.