Comments on “The Zeebrugge ferry disaster”

Abstract

For a re-constructive analysis of decision making and management dynamics in major emergency situations to be accurate and objective, one essential element it should include is a detailed description and precise assessment of the way each of the actors involved have perceived and experienced the chain of events. This implies an attempt to put oneself in the specific position of these various actors. Such an’ emphatic’ approach may not always be easy —indeed, in this respect hindsight, instead of a benefit, could sometimes even prove to be more of a handicap —but it is in my view nevertheless indispensable. It seems a prerequisite for both writing fair history and developing crisis management theory with a valuable spin-off for practitioners.