RO-RO barriers
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4' Watertight barriers on the vehicle decks of roll-on, roll off ferries will mean longer journeys for hauliers, say the ferry companies.
The ferries are this week facing the likelihood of being forced to fit the transverse bulkheads after Transport Secretary Brian Mawhinney told MPs they will improve buoyancy.
Research on the sinking of the Estonia in the Baltic last year suggests the barriers could have made a difference. Mr Mawhinney now seems certain to insist that all ferries using British ports fit them. A spokesman for P&O European Ferries says bulkheads would cut vehicle capacity and probably increase loading time. "We have always said we will support any move to improve safety. There is no great technical or financial problem with fitting bulkheads but there is no consensus, even among experts, that they work."