Marine

21.2, ferry sinking, black box recovered

Egypt: French and British experts working for the International Maritime Organisation recovered the black box from passenger ro/ro Al Salam Boccaccio 98 , which sank in the Red Sea in February with the loss of more than 1,000 people. The Voyage Data Recorder will be sent to Britain for analysis. The recorder, which stores details such as the position of the vessel, direction of travel and weather conditions, might throw light on why the vessel sank. Al Salam Boccaccio 98 was on a voyage between Duba and Safaga when it sank in early February. Out of the 1,414 people on board, only 388 people survived. Witnesses and surviving officers said a fire broke out on the car deck shortly after the vessel left Duba. However, they have not explained why the vessel continued to sail out into the Red Sea for several hours after the fire started and why the crew evacuated so few of the passengers. The disaster provoked widespread criticism of the shipping company and of the government, which was accused of reacting too slowly and of laxity in enforcing safety regulations.