had started service only a few months before, and the crew was not yet fully acquainted with its equipment, most notably its radar system. It was established that the crew had focused too much on the radar and not on visual inspection. At the time of the accident, the waves were higher than the boat was certified for. The ferry company had not completed a hard-weather test for Sleipner, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority therefore gave the boat a temporary permit with a maximum significant wave height of one meter. The authorities and the ferry company, however, failed to ensure that the ferry only sailed within this limit. On the evening of the accident, the wave height at the accident site was 2.3 meters. Austal Ships had deviated from the original blueprints. Instead of installing one communication device in each of the two hulls, both the main and back-up system were installed on one side. As it was this side that hit the rock, most of the electrical circuits went off-line shortly after the accident. Only one of the life rafts was deployed, and this one floated away before passengers could board. Again the inexperience of the crew with the new boat was the cause of this, having only practised emergency procedures during fair weather. The investigating commission also criticized the safety and life raft system for being flawed and too complicated. The checklist for deploying the life rafts included a total of 24 steps, and all passengers were supposed to be evacuated through the entry hall, which the commission found to be too small in an emergency situation. The life vests had serious flaws. They were donned by putting the head through an opening and then tightening the sides. However, upon entering the water, the life vests slipped off over the passengers' head. The life vests had been approved by British authorities and accepted in Norway, although it was only after the accident discovered that they failed to comply with regulations. As a consequence of the investigation, all life vests on Norwegian passenger ferries were changed to a model that includes an extra strap that needs to be passed between the passengers' legs. The captain of the ship, Sverre Johan Hagland, was sentenced to 6 months' imprisonment. References External links 1999 ships Maritime incidents in 1999 Maritime incidents in Norway 1999 in Norway Individual catamarans Ships built by Austal