Ninety Seconds at Zeebrugge - Zeebrugge, Belgium - There's a Book About It on Waymarking.com

On 1 July 2014, The History Press released a book called Ninety Seconds at Zeebrugge: The Herald of Free Enterprise Story (ISBN 9780752497839), telling the story of the disaster and its aftermath. A second edition, updated to reflect the thirtieth anniversary, was released on 1 March 2018 (ISBN 978-0750985819).

About the book:
"The Herald of Free Enterprise car ferry set sail on a routine voyage to Dover in March 1987, carrying hundreds of passengers, including British army personnel, day-trippers and truck drivers. Minutes after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, the ferry began to capsize. Terrified passengers were separated from loved ones in a seething mass of humanity, in freezing cold water and had to fight for their lives. This is the minute-by-minute account of those who lived through the disaster, from the event to rescue, reunion and repatriation. The Belgian people are also remembered for the care and comfort they gave to the bewildered and grief-stricken survivors. Including plans, photographs and records considering how this disaster impacted ferry operating procedures forever, Iain Yardley's thoughtful study covers every aspect of this tragedy. Many survivors, relatives and rescue workers have contributed to make this a fitting tribute to all involved from that night to the present day."
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What happened
"MS Herald of Free Enterprise was a roll-on/roll-off (RORO) ferry which capsized moments after leaving the Belgian port of Zeebrugge on the night of 6 March 1987, killing 193 passengers and crew.

The eight-deck car and passenger ferry was owned by Townsend Thoresen, designed for rapid loading and unloading on the competitive cross-channel route. As was common at the time, it was built with no watertight compartments. The ship left harbour with her bow door open, and the sea immediately flooded the decks; within minutes, she was lying on her side in shallow water. The immediate cause of the capsizing was found to be negligence by the assistant boatswain, who was asleep in his cabin when he should have been closing the bow door. However, the official inquiry placed more blame on his supervisors and a general culture of poor communication in Townsend Thoresen. The vessel was salvaged, put up for sale, and sold to Naviera SA Kingstown on 30 September 1987, renamed Flushing Range. It was taken to Taiwan on 22 March 1988 to be scrapped.

Since the disaster, improvements have been made to the design of RORO vessels, with watertight ramps, indicators showing the position of the bow doors, and banning of undivided decks."
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ISBN Number: 9780750985819 Author(s): Iain Yardley

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