Latvia, Port, Tourism, Transport

Sarma Kocane, a representative of the Maritime Administration of Latvia, said that on January 8 and 9 Latvian and Swedish inspectors examined the safety of the two vessels in accordance with the European Union’s (EU) regulations under which passenger ships running on particular routes have to checked twice a year. The inspections are needed to make sure the vessels are safe for carrying passengers.

During the checks, inspectors examine the state of the ship’s hull, machinery and mechanisms, as well as signaling, communication, rescue and navigation equipment, as well as test the crew’s emergency response skills and check the documentation.

Kocane noted that the Isabelle was damaged in last week’s storm in the Baltic Sea and received a temporary one-month seafaring license. However, the ship would be examined this week even if it had not been damaged. The result of the scheduled inspections repeatedly shows that the passenger ferry Isabelle is safe, the representative of the Latvian Maritime Administration said.

As reported, on January 3, the departure of the Isabelle for Stockholm was delayed in the port of Riga because the doors on one of the ferry’s ro-ro decks had been damaged during the storm.

• Pu