Italian classification society RINA has been ordered to pay more than €60 million in compensation to around 700 relatives of victims of the AL SALAM BOCCACCIO 98 ferry disaster, following a ruling by the civil court in Genoa.
The ferry sank in the Red Sea on the night of 2–3 February 2006, killing 1.031 of the approximately 1.400 people on board, many of whom were migrant workers returning from Saudi Arabia and pilgrims travelling back from Mecca.
In a judgment signed by Judge Daniele Bianchi, the court identified RINA’s negligent conduct as the principal cause of the disaster. The ruling focuses on failures to identify and communicate a critical design feature of the vessel’s ballast system, as well as shortcomings in safety oversight and crew training.
The court accepted a technical assessment commissioned in late 2022, which reconstructed how a fire in the vehicle deck led to the vessel’s capsize. Water used to fight the fire accumulated on the main deck, causing the ferry to develop a starboard list. The crew attempted to correct the imbalance by filling ballast tanks on the port side, but excess water discharged into the vehicle deck rather than overboard, accelerating the vessel’s loss of stability.
According to the court, RINA failed to adequately highlight this design characteristic. Furthermore, operational instructions, including a specific warning concerning flooding, had not been translated into English or another language understood by the Egyptian crew. The judgment identifies 22 additional areas of alleged negligence, including deficiencies in crew training and safety drill supervision.
RINA’s liability does not concern the origin of the fire or orders given by the master, but rather omissions in the information and safety checks needed to operate the vessel safely.
The court awarded between €100,000 and €150,000 to each eligible relative for non-economic loss, with the total compensation exceeding €60 million. RINA was also ordered to pay €3.5 million in legal costs, plus approximately €400,000 in additional expenses. The compensation awarded is substantially higher than amounts previously set by Egyptian courts.
The AL SALAM BOCCACCIO 98 was one of six sister ships built for Italian state-owned operator Tirrenia between 1970 and 1971. Its capacity was increased in 1991 through the addition of four decks, before the vessel was sold to Egyptian operator El Salam Shipping & Trading in 1999. Its sister ship AL SALAM PETRARCA 90 had capsized following a fire in the Red Sea in 2002, resulting in one death.
RINA has expressed “profound disagreement” with the ruling, arguing that two technical investigations, including one conducted by the flag state, and several criminal and administrative proceedings concluded more than a decade ago attributed responsibility to the shipowner and master rather than the classification society.
The Genoa judgment is subject to appeal.
Source: Shipping Italy
