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ENT5: SURSHIP - Survivability for ships. A coordinated European research program on Maritime safety

Background and contents

During the recent years a number of severe ship accidents have occurred in European waters. The RoRo passenger and freight ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in good weather in the English Channel in 1987 and 188 people were killed. In 1990 the combined passenger and car ferry Scandinavian Star caught fire on a voyage between Oslo and Fredrikshavn and 158 people lost their lives. The RoRo ferry Jan Heweliusz capsized in the south Baltic Sea in 1993 with a loss of 54 human lives and a total loss of the vessel. The RoRo passenger ferry Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea in 1994 and 852 people were killed. The high-speed catamaran Sleipner grounded and sank outside the Norwegian coast in 1999 and 31 people were lost. In these five accidents 1283 people lost their lives. The single hull tanker Erika sank off Brittany in 1999 causing severe damage to the marine environment. The recent Spanish oil tanker disaster in November 2002 caused by the sinking of the M/S Prestige, an old single hull tanker carrying twice as much oil as the Exxon Valdez, underlines the remaining scope of possible improvements of safety both to life and the marine environment.

Key ideas and objectives

The partners of SURSHIP are convinced that it is possible to build safer ships if a joint R&D effort is taken on the improved survivability of the entire ship, in a holistic meaning. The comprehensive and coordinated approach of all countries participating in SURSHIP will lead to gains in efficiency, competitiveness and will have severe scientific, political and economical impacts. It is not possible for one single country alone to accomplish this ambitious task of creating a new comprehensive maritime safety approach. SURSHIP will create an improved know how of a more generic, holistic ship safety approach which will influence ship owners, ship builders, suppliers and national administrations as well as the work on IMO.

SURSHIP has the following three strategic objectives:

Development of a holistic maritime safety concept
Strengthening of the competitiveness of the European maritime industry
Improvement of sustainability and safety of ships and of marine environmental protection

Participating countries

Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden (leader) and United Kingdom.

Expected results and aim of cooperation

An Action Group develops the overall scientific concept of SURSHIP and recommends subprojects for national funding. The AG nominates a leading country for each work package of SURSHIP. The AG also gives unanimous recommendations for all communication matters to the SURSHIP Secretariat and the NFPs.

Expected and final results in SURSHIP projects and reference projects will be presented to IMO and other relevant stakeholders at yearly seminars.

Status and intermediate results

Position papers were presented during 2005.
Work packages were decided upon during 2006.
Letter of Intention was signed during 2006.
Country contributions will vary in time, size and volume. This process is ongoing since 2006, and will continue during the whole programme.
Intermediate results will be presented to IMO and other relevant stakeholders at yearly seminars.
Final statements and reporting of SURSHIP will be presented 2009.