Class grapples the greasy pig Getting to grips with safety needs a strong arm

摘要

Why exactly are the classification societies tearing them selves to pieces over the Erikal As casualties go, it is not exactly remarkable. No one died (contrast this with the bulker Albion Two, which sank in roughly the same place exactly three years ago, and has largely been forgotten), and yet Erika is routinely described as a 'disaster' or a 'catastrophe'. The answer, of course, is that oily beaches make far more of an impact on public opinion than dead foreigners, and the French government is promising to turn the incident into Europe's Exxon Valdez (see page 8).