Zeebrugge ferry disaster: An entirely avoidable catastrophe

The ship in question, the Herald of Free Enterprise, had long been used to cart vehicles and passengers from Calais to Dover – but on the night in question, it was embarking on a fairly new route of Zeebrugge to Dover.

Thanks to a promotion being run by The Sun newspaper, which offered holidaymakers the opportunity to visit Belgium for the bargain price of just £1 return, there were plenty of Brits enjoying an early spring break across the English Channel.

In total, it’s believed that there were 459 passengers on board the Herald, as well as 80 crew and 130 vehicles. Sadly, over a third of them lost their lives just minutes into the journey.

The vessel had barely left port when it quickly became clear that something wasn’t right. The bow doors which allowed vehicles to drive on and off the ferry had not been closed, resulting in a significant amount of water ingress.

Those responsible for closing the doors were either asleep, otherwise occupied or simply negligent, while the captain had no way of knowing that anything was amiss. As he picked up speed, even more water entered the vehicle deck, which led to the cars and lorries becoming unstable and moving around.

This displacement of weight adversely affected the ship’s balance and despite correcting itself once, it couldn’t avoid listing and capsizing. The whole episode lasted a mere 90 seconds, meaning there was no time to raise the alarm, send SOS signals or distribute life jackets.

Thankfully, the presence of a large sandbank beneath the ferry’s hull prevented it from overturning completely, but the passengers were still trapped in the cold water less than a kilometre from shore.

Thanks to a monumental rescue effort from the coastguard, the Belgian navy and a nearby German-owned ferry, many people were saved. As often happens in trying times like these, several individual passengers and crew members were recognised for their bravery, including the heroic efforts of a 33-year-old banker, who used his 6’4” frame as a human bridge for over half an hour to help more than 20 people to safety.

Nonetheless, a total of 193 men, women and children lost their lives on the voyage.

The investigation into the incident was led by Mr Justice Sheen, a British judge. He found that the disaster was caused by three primary factors:

• The failure of the assistant boatswain, Mark Stanley, to fulfil his duty of shutting the bow doors on departure. Mr Stanley was asleep in his bunk at the time.
• The failure of the first officer, Leslie Sabel, to make sure the doors were closed before vacating the deck. Mr Sabel later said he (mistakenly) believed he had seen Mr Stanley approaching, and so left to attend to his other duties.
• The failure of Captain David Lewry to ascertain that the doors had been closed before leaving port. Captain Lewry simply assumed that everything had been taken care of.

However, Justice Sheen’s most scathing criticism was reserved for the working practices of owners Townsend Thoresen. In a memorable speech, he condemned the owners as presiding over a 'disease of sloppiness' at every level of their organisation and bemoaned their decision to cut corners and ignore concerns raised by their employees.

A corporate manslaughter case was brought against the firm, but Mr Justice Turner recommended that the jury acquit Townsend Thoresen of all charges, since no single individual (or so-called 'controlling mind') could be identified to bear the responsibility.

Though the corporate manslaughter charge failed, it did precipitate a change in the law in the UK. The Public Interest Disclosure Act was brought into being in 1998, while the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act was introduced in 2008.

Another significant consequence of the incident was the tightening up of rules around passenger and crew logs. Ships were now required to take the names, ages and genders of all persons on board so as to expedite and assist with rescue efforts in the future.

Perhaps the biggest legacy caused by the sinking of the Zeebrugge ferry, however, is the improvements made to the vessels themselves. Ferry safety regulations have been notably beefed up, as watertight ramps and bow door indicators became mandatory and undivided decks outlawed.

Amid the terror and tragedy of tales such as these, there is also invariably cause for hope and optimism. Don’t believe us? Just read about the unsinkable Violet Jessop, who survived the Titanic and two other shipwrecks at the beginning of the 20^th century.