Image via Marianne Fearnside
Bob and Marianne Fearnside’s son Richard disappeared one evening while traveling home this year on a P&O Cruises ferry.
“He went on deck for a cigarette and never returned” the Fernside’s wrote in a recent petition to P&O Cruises that the company install CCTV cameras on the decks of their ferries.
As of today, this petition has gathered in excess of 50,000 signatures.
“We do not know what happened to Richard and we don’t know if he fell or jumped or was pushed from the deck. There can be no inquiry because there is no evidence as there are no CCTV cameras on passenger decks. There are CCTV cameras at the Duty Free shop to protect goods such as perfume and spirits, but none on passenger decks to protect people. We will probably never know what happened to our beloved son, but our loss has pointed out how woefully inadequate [sic] the safety measures are to prevent loss of life on passenger ferries.”
Ferry safety has been a big issue this year in many respects. In fact, hundreds have died in ferry accidents and an unknown number have perished in similar ways to Richard Fearnside.
Undoubtably, CCTVs would help increase the situational awareness and in some ways the security of the ferry operators, but it of course detracts from the operators’ bottom line.
Do you have an opinion on the matter? Comment below or sign their petition HERE.
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