Flares on ferry to Cherbourg

[JKayar]

We intended to replace the flares on our boat berthed in France, however we forgot to buy them. On awaiting the ferry at Poole we were told that flares could not be taken on board so our memory loss was fortunate. We purchased flares in France at less than the UK price for s imilar pack

 

[AIDY]

are the instructions in english and what sort of price please

 

[macd]

We have the same problem on the ferries to the Isle of Man. In fact until the robbing gits worked out that they could charge ludicrous prices for carrying 'dangerous goods', for a while it wasn't possible to buy flares here at all. Quote from officials: "We do not allow flares on our ferries". Always thought the MCA might be interested in such flagrant disregard for safety rules.

 

[raquet]

[ QUOTE ]
are the instructions in english and what sort of price please

[/ QUOTE ]Try somewhere like Accastillage Diffusion . They are not especially cheap - there will be cheaper on-line sellers. However they have lots of branches. You will recognise the products. Instructions are in pictograms and, on mine, in English and French.

 

[Seven Spades]

[ QUOTE ]
We have the same problem on the ferries to the Isle of Man. In fact until the robbing gits worked out that they could charge ludicrous prices for carrying 'dangerous goods', for a while it wasn't possible to buy flares here at all. Quote from officials: "We do not allow flares on our ferries". Always thought the MCA might be interested in such flagrant disregard for safety rules.

[/ QUOTE ]

I would just stick them in the boot in their sealed container and plead ignorance. I am sure it is only company rules and it is not a criminal offence to ignore the ferry company rules, so the worse that could happen would be that they might deny you bording, but that is unlikely if you plead ignorance.

 

[bedouin]

[ QUOTE ]


I would just stick them in the boot in their sealed container and plead ignorance. I am sure it is only company rules and it is not a criminal offence to ignore the ferry company rules, so the worse that could happen would be that they might deny you bording, but that is unlikely if you plead ignorance.

[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds like a way to get a one way ticket to Guantanamo Bay /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

 

[DinghyMan]

I agree - last time on the L'pool to Belfast ferry was asked if I had any knives or sharp object in the car so opened the boot and showed it was half full of my woodworking tools, guy just said OK and carried on...

 

[franky]

I may be mistaken but don't these ferries carry flares in case they need them.Similar to the fuss the airlines used to make regarding 32Gm CO2 cylinders.There is one under every seat on the plane.
When Pains Wessex recalled their white flares last year I was in Royan.So I put them in a small polybottle in the boot of the car and got on the ferry at St Malo.No Problem.

 

[oilyrag]

It's due to IMDG regs for carriage of dangerous goods at sea. The regs are simple and absolute : Flares (pyrotechnics) are catergorised as Class 1 Explosives and not allowed to be carried in any amount, however small, as 'cargo' on passenger vessels.
Of course the vessels themselves are carrying flares but these are not 'cargo'.

 

[pelicanpete]

[ QUOTE ]
It's due to IMDG regs for carriage of dangerous goods at sea. The regs are simple and absolute : Flares (pyrotechnics) are catergorised as Class 1 Explosives and not allowed to be carried in any amount, however small, as 'cargo' on passenger vessels.
Of course the vessels themselves are carrying flares but these are not 'cargo'.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto IATA Restricted Articles by air.

 

[macd]

Er...yes. That was my point.

 

[macd]

I'm sure that's what many people who take vehicles on the ferry must do. Personally I'd rather sail across: cheaper, fewer rules, more fun.

 

[William_H]

Dangerous goods regulations for aircraft and similarly ferries must seem ludicrous when the aircaft or ferry carry the same devices (flares or pressure gas cylinders) as equipment.
The whole problem is to provide simple catch all regulations for passengers. It is not practical to write and enforce laws which are complex to cover every situation.

The aircraft or ferry operator can control the number of flares the storage and condition and who has access to them.

Jo public arrives for flight or passage with an unknown quantity of unknown condition flares in an unknown storage and no one knows what he is going to do with them. That assuming they are flares when it could be any form of explosive stable or unstable.

The laws are speaking to the worst case scenario of fire or explosion risk or terrorist activity and written in the simplest of terms. I think the least we can do is support the laws for the safety of all.

Certainly in the case of aircraft dangerous goods carriage, conditions are specified in IATA manual for a huge number of types of dangerous goods, packaging required, max quantities and if they can be carried on passenger flights or cargo only. The detail of the manual hopefully addresses every case but inevitably it costs the carrier to deal with each specific case. So cost to shipper.

So smuggle the goods on board if you want but you do run a risk of prosecutuion (assuming you are sensible enough to not cause a catastrophe) and you would probably be very critical if you knew other people were smuggling dangerous goods on board. olewill

 

[ParaHandy]

I took one of the big flare packs - 5 litre plastic canister - across to Chbg last year. Rung P&O day before, asked them if they would, they asked ferry Capt, he said yes. They were taken off me at the ferry terminal and handed back at Chbg ... simple as that ..

 

[oldharry]

[ QUOTE ]
I took one of the big flare packs - 5 litre plastic canister - across to Chbg last year. Rung P&O day before, asked them if they would, they asked ferry Capt, he said yes. They were taken off me at the ferry terminal and handed back at Chbg ... simple as that ..

[/ QUOTE ]

And thats the point. Its not just stupid 'worst case scenario' regs. Vehicles can and do catch fire quite regularly. If flares happened to be on board they would spread the fire from one vehicle to a dozen or more in seconds. The end result of that is a favourite Holywood scenario!

IMHO ferry crew would have their work cut out with just one vehicle fire - if it was unapproachable because some idiot had smuggled flares aboard which were firing off in "toutes directions" and starting new fires, the result would be catastrophic, almost certainly lose the ship, and almost certainly life as well.