NUMAST senior national secretary Allan Graveson said the report provided 'a damning indictment of the operation of the port marine safety code'.

He added: 'It would appear that there was an abrogation of responsibility by the port management, which was further compounded by a lack of any effective policing by the regulatory authority of the safety code.'

Mr Graveson said the report raised questions about the MCA's 'customer-orientated approach' to the ports industry and argued that it is clear that the MCA needs to be given adequate resources to enforce the requirements of the code. Independent auditing of port compliance with the code is also vital.

'Unfortunately, the code is voluntary and that is where the problem lies,' he added. 'The MAIB recommendations fail to address the fundamental failures inherent in a system of self-regulation.'

Reproduced with permission from Numast Telegraph November 2005 page 11