“ABANDON VESSEL DRILL” CONDUCTED TO ENSURE SAFETY AND SECURITY OF FERRY PASSENGERS IN WESTERN REGION
Abu Dhabi Ports Marine Services recently conducted a live exercise demonstrating the comprehensive safety preparedness when dealing with emergency situations. The company conducted a safety drill on a ferry operating between Mugharrag Port and Delma Island, successfully proving the efficiency of its emergency response plan.
A subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Ports − the master developer, operator and manager of ports and Khalifa Industrial Zone in the Emirate, Abu Dhabi Ports Marine Services provides a range of world-class marine services to vessels calling at all ports under Abu Dhabi Ports. The company is also managing, operating and maintaining the Department of Transport in Abu Dhabi’s (DoT) ferries and ferry services in the Western Region under a contract between both parties.
The safety exercise called “Abandon Vessel Drill” was conducted in coordination with DoT and other partners to ensure the safe evacuation of all passengers and crew onboard the ferry in the event of an emergency. A 100-passenger life raft, one of the largest of its kind in the UAE, was deployed and inflated at open sea during the drill.
“The “Abandon Vessel Drill” is one of the many exercises we conduct to ensure our emergency response plan is efficient, that systems are well-established and the teams are well equipped to handle any situation. We aim to remain vigilant in ensuring the safety, security, and wellbeing of everyone using our services and our ports,” said Captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports.
Maktoum Mohamed Alhouqani, CEO of Abu Dhabi Ports Marine Services, said: “We have analysed the valuable inputs received from the safety exercise and already incorporated them in our emergency response plan. We will continue to explore all options to ensure that our safety and security preparedness is foolproof.”
The drill was also aimed to enhance the communications and coordination efforts between Abu Dhabi Marine Service and its partners that included the DoT, the Critical Infrastructure and Coastal Protection Authority (CICPA) and Abu Dhabi Traffic Police. The exercise was carried out under the supervision of Abu Dhabi Ports’ Western Region Harbour Master, who performed as the incident commander.
Abandon Vessel Drill was part of the requirements of the SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) convention and ISM (International Safety Management) Code. The SOLAS Convention in its successive forms is generally regarded as the most important of all international treaties concerning the safety of merchant ships. The International Safety Management (ISM) Code is an international standard for the safe management and operation of ships, and for pollution prevention.