Sydney Harbour ferries face night speed limit after Merinda crash

SYDNEY Harbour ferries face a night speed limit under safety measures recommended today after a coronial inquiry into a collision that killed four people.
A group of professional ice skaters, judges and their families - aged between six and 80 - were on a late night cruise when their boat, the Merinda, and a HarbourCat ferry, Pam Burridge, collided under the bridge on March 28, 2007.
Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon said the crash, which left the Merinda torn in half, was the result of both individual and systemic failure.
Skating star Morgan Innes, 14, elite skating judge Simone Moore, NSW Ice Skating Association president Alan Blinn, and Mr Blinn's friend James Engert were killed in the crash.
Mr Dillon told Glebe Coroners Court in Sydney conditions on the night had been “near perfect” and that neither the crew of the Merinda nor of the Pam Burridge kept a proper lookout.
He found the Merinda did not have any navigation lights on at the time of the crash and that the Pam Burridge had been speeding, although he could not determine by how much.
Mr Dillon made 24 recommendations, including a night speed limit for ferries on the harbour and for Sydney Ferries to review its safety culture.
Where possible, Mr Dillon advocated that radio traffic generated by Sydney Ferries also be recorded and archived for a suitable period, along with a “unified national regulatory approach” to boat lighting and licensing.
The recommendations also put forward the need for an online complaints section for the NSW Maritime website where boat operators can report “serious breaches of marine rules and legislation”.
In emotional scenes outside the court, Morgan Innes's father Robert said he was happy the three-year journey was finally over.
Mr Innes said he did not want to make a scapegoat out of anyone in the case and was pleased there were not recommendations for any charges to be laid.
“Really you've got to keep in mind that on the one hand I have (lost) my friends and family that I love very dearly but on the other you've got a ferry master with a wife and two young children so there's no winner here,” Mr Innes said.
“At the end of the day nothing is going to bring Morgan back.
“We've all just got to keep on and keep Sydney Ferries diligent to safety ... it's up to the commuter public and boaties to report people doing the wrong thing.”
Paul Moore, husband of another victim Simone, said he hoped the coroner's recommendations would be implemented.
“I certainly hope so because Sydney Harbour should be a place were tragedy shouldn't happen,” Mr Moore said.
“I would not want any other family to endure what I and my family have had to go through and I just hope this never happens again because it is just too difficult to bear.”