WITH the smell of fresh paint still lingering, excited steward Steve Stevenson was a member of the first crew to work on the Herald of Free Enterprise after it had been floated in 1980.

Seven years later, he sailed past the ship that lay helplessly on her side against the sandbank off the Port of Zeebrugge.

Mr Stevenson, who has lived in Deal for most of his life, was temporarily transferred from the Herald to a freight ship after having an operation, nine months before the disaster.

The 83-year-old blamed a "lack of communication" for the disaster.

He said: "There was no communication from the bow to the bridge. It would have been so easy to install some lights or a bell to confirm that the doors were closed and that the ship was ready to sail. It was crazy.

"It was a sad and shocking day for everybody, I will never forgive that company for what happened."

Only a proportion of the crew that survived went back to work on the seas. Meanwhile, Mr Stevenson had to sail past the ship he worked on only hours after the disaster.

"I was put on the Zeebrugge run less than 24 hours after the Herald disaster. As we came into port, we had to pass the ship. It was devastating.

"Many of the survivors never returned to work on the seas. The mental block was understandable."