I. Skim the text and express your opinion of the causes of the accident.

3 February, 2006

A ferry carrying about 1,400 people, most of them Egyptians, has sunk in the Red Sea. Fourteen bodies and about 100 survivors have so far been pulled from the water.

The al-Salam Boccaccio'98 went down about 80 km (50 miles) off the Egyptian coast during an overnight journey from Duba in Saudi Arabia to Safaga. Rescue boats and helicopters are searching the area, but are being hampered by poor weather.

The cause of the sinking is not known, but there were high winds when it left Duba.

The ship was carrying 1,310 passengers and 96 Egyptian crew. Most of the passengers were Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, but some were said to be pilgrims returning from Mecca.

The head of administration at al-Salam Maritime Transport said he was not aware of any SOS from the crew.

The 35-year-old ship had been due to arrive at Safaga at about 0300 local time (0100 GMT).

Four Egyptian frigates were looking for survivors. Britain has sent the warship HMS Bulwark to help and it will arrive in a day-and-a-half.

The rescue operation started just after midnight, within an hour or an hour-and-a-half of the ship going missing.

The general manager of the Saudi branch of maritime insurancecompany Lloyds said the ship had met all safety requirements. "The vessel was well equipped with all lifeboats and all her certificates were valid". He ruled out the possibility of a collision with another ship, saying the other vessel would have reported the incident.

There was a possibility one or more of the vehicles the ship was transporting could have moved, particularly in bad weather.

II. Vocabulary Practice

1. Find the words from the text which mean the following:

· a religious person who travels a long way to a holy place;

· to make it difficult for someone to do something;

· to decide that something is not possible or suitable;

· legally acceptable;

· the act, system, or business of providing financial protection for property, life, health, etc., against specified contingencies.

2. Give synonyms or synonymous phrases which mean the following:

to go down; high winds; not aware of smth; due to arrive.

Group Work

Two texts below are about the same accident but comprise different information. Each student has to read one text. Exchange the information. Work in pairs.

Text 8. There are conflicting reports on whether the al-Salam Boccaccio'98 met all regional safety requirements

There are conflicting reports on whether the al-Salam Boccaccio'98 met all regional safety requirements. The speed at which the ship sank and the fact there were not enough life rafts on board confirmed that there was a safety problem.

The 35-year-old ship, previously operated in Italy, was of a design that has not been allowed to operate everywhere. Besides, the ship was modified in the 1980s, with two more passenger decks placed on the top of the vessel.

As a result, the ferry had an unusually high profile, sitting much taller in the water than it was originally designed to do.

The ship was a "roll on-roll off" (ro-ro) ferry, on which vehicles drive on at one end of the ferry, and then off at the other. Ships are equipped with large doors close to the waterline at the front and rear of the vessel, which create
a risk of flooding if they are not properly sealed. Even if a small amount of water enters through the doors, it starts slopping from side to side, making the ship rock.

As the water moves it gathers momentum, causing the rocking to become more pronounced. The shifting water quickly makes the ship unstable and can capsize it within a short space of time.

This phenomenon – known as the Free Surface Effect – played a key role in the sinking of the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry off Zeebrugge in 1987, after it set sail with its bow doors open.

After this, and the loss of the Estonia ferry in the Baltic Sea in 1994, the EU reinforced its regulations on ro-ro ferries, but less stringent regulations continue to apply in some other parts of the world.

Experts call on the government to stop certifying old ships. Buying older vessels and then charging cheap prices allows ship owners turn a much quicker profit than if they operated newer, more expensive vessels.

Vocabulary

to slop	плескаться (о воде)
to rock	качать(ся)
momentum	движущая сила
pronounced	резко выраженный, отчетливый
stringent	строгий, обязательный

Text 9. The sinking of a passenger ferry in the Red Sea Friday
is one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent years

to push over	to capsize
to flee	to run away, to escape

The sinking of a passenger ferry in the Red Sea Friday with some 460 survivors – out of 1,400 passengers and crew members – is one of the deadliest maritime disasters in recent years.

Initial reports indicate that soon after departing from Dubah, Saudi Arabia a fire started in the 35-year-old vessel's parking bay. Assuring passengers that the fire was under control, the crew decided to continue on the 120-mile journey to the Red Sea port of Safaga, Egypt.

"We told the crew, 'Let's turn back, let's call for help', but they refused and said everything was under control", said an Egyptian passenger who works in Saudi Arabia.

The car deck flooded as crew members pumped water in to battle the fire. An explosion was heard and within minutes the ship began to list, and high winds reportedly helped push the ship over. The ship reportedly sank before most of the life boats could be lowered or inflated.

Some survivors claimed the ship's captain and some crew members fled the sinking ship in a lifeboat. The captain is still reported missing.

Analysts questioned whether the crew members on the al-Salam Boccaccio'98 were properly trained. If so, they should have been able to put out the fire, or at least to safely evacuate all the ship's passengers.

Vocabulary

parking bay	участок для парковки автомобилей
to inflate	надувать, накачивать