As automation in road ferry traffic increases in pursuit of cost-effectiveness,attention must also be paid to the competence requirements set by automation as well as the safety challenges of different road ferry locations

The Safety In­ves­ti­ga­tion Au­thor­ity, Fin­land, has com­pleted the in­ves­ti­ga­tion into the col­li­sion of the road ferry L-317 with the pier at Re­tais, Ko­rp­poo, in the evening of 13 April 2023. The loss of ma­noeu­vra­bil­ity of the road ferry led to the col­li­sion. The road ferry re­turned to traf­fic five days af­ter the col­li­sion.

The problems with the definition of a road ferry were at the centre of the investigation: road ferries can be considered either as a continuation of road or so-called other vessels. The safety and safe use of road ferries, their crews, the competence of the crews and the implementation and monitoring of the training of road ferry drivers also came up in the investigation by the Safety Investigation Authority.

The backgrounds of road ferry drivers vary a great deal with regard to their training and competence.

“No separate navigation competence requirements have been defined for road ferry drivers; instead, the service provider qualifies them for their task. In addition, there is an aim to increase the automation of road ferries – in pursuit of cost-effectiveness. The operating systems are more and more complex, and using them smoothly requires skill and training,” says Risto Haimila, Investigator-in-charge.

Haimila continues: “Boarding crafts had been previously used for operation at the Korppoo ferry berth. For cost reasons, however, the ferry berth was changed into a road ferry route. The regulation on virtual cables by the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency (Traficom) in 2022 enabled the change. The amount of automation was increased, but the factors related to the crew of road ferries and their qualifications did not receive as much attention in the change.”

The responsibilities of the authorities concerning the organisation and monitoring of road ferry traffic have been divided between the Centre for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment for Southwest Finland (ELY Centre for Southwest Finland) and Traficom. The ELY Centre for Southwest Finland is both the client and the supervisor of safety and quality. If necessary, it also decides on the crews of road ferries. Traficom, the supervisory authority for navigation, is responsible for the duties related to the technical safety and safe use of road ferries, focusing mainly on the inspections of road ferries.

“As a result, the road ferry traffic service providers have an extremely great responsibility for the overall safety and smooth flow of traffic at different road ferry locations and the maintenance of passenger and vehicle traffic with various kinds of equipment. With the safety recommendations now issued, we want to clarify and centralise the regulation of road ferry traffic and draw attention to the safety challenges created by developing technology and different kinds of road ferry locations,” says Investigator-in-charge Haimila.