Vancouver Sun - October 22, 2014
Canadian ferries give safe service
Six months have passed since the sinking of the MV Sewolin off the South Korean coast that saw about 450 people lose their lives. This tragedy affected everyone — not just in Korea but also in the wider marine community.
While it is not for us to make assumptions on what happened, it is important to also reflect on Canada’s record.
We are pleased to note that, as reported by the Transportation Safety Board, there were no ferry accidents resulting in fatalities in the past seven years. (Editor’s note: Two passengers died when the Queen of the North ran aground in 2006, eight years ago.)
Accidents resulting in injuries keep diminishing. As far as we can recollect, there were no major incidents involving dangerous goods aboard ferries in Canada. It is in good part due to the training provided to employees, the processes put in place by ferry operators, Canadian regulations administered by Transport Canada and the dedication of everyone involved.
With over 47 million passengers, 18 million vehicles, over 20,000 jobs and billions of dollars of goods transported annually, the ferry sector in Canada is a safe and crucial part of our transportation infrastructure.
SERGE BUY, CEO, Canadian Ferry Association
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