August 14, 1996
(Works, Services and Transportation)

The following is being distributed at the request of Marine Atlantic:

Marine Atlantic earns international safety certificates

Marine Atlantic's two largest ferries have achieved distinction as the first in North America to officially meet the marine world's highest standards for safety and environmental protection.

Marine Atlantic, which operates the major ferry services in Atlantic Canada, recently received documents which certify that the safety management systems used on MV Caribou and MV Smallwood each measure up to the strict requirements demanded by the International Safety Management Code (ISM).

ISM, which is being implemented voluntarily at Marine Atlantic, will become mandatory throughout the international marine industry. Lloyd's Register, the international classification and inspection society, issued Safety Management Certificates after conducting independent audits of the Smallwood and Caribou. Both Canadian-built ferries, each capable of carrying up to 1,200 passengers and 350 cars, operate in Marine Atlantic's gulf service between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

ISM will be implemented throughout Marine Atlantic, where appropriate, by 1997.

Vice president of safety and regulatory affairs Bud Streeter proudly points out that Marine Atlantic can also claim to be the first Canadian shipping company of any kind to have earned ISM certification, "a tremendous achievement."

"All of us at Marine Atlantic take immense pride in the fact that the company already has a well-earned reputation as one of the safest ferry operators in the world," Streeter says. "ISM certification represents undeniable proof that when it comes to safety and environmental protection, Marine Atlantic has met the highest marine standards in the world."

Streeter is quick to point out that obtaining ISM certification for its operations involves making a commitment and having systems in place to follow "a process of continuously improving safety."

"Safety is a never-ending pursuit," he says. "ISM certification expresses the commitment in the everyday practices of the men and women of this company to do all they can to make Marine Atlantic the safest ferry company in the world."

Contact: Doug Burgess, Public Relations Officer, (709) 772-5731.