NEW safety regulations for passenger ferries will hasten a major investment by Irish Ferries on its routes to France, industry sources said last night. The current vessel shuttling between Rosslare and France is thought to be too old to merit spending enough to bring it up to the latest standards.

A spokesman for the company would not be drawn on plans to spend at least Pounds 50 million on a new ferry but pointed out that, over the past three years, the company had already invested Pounds 110 million buying two new cruise ferries for its routes on the Irish Sea. "Our vessel on the French route is operating to current safety standards," he added.

Spurred by the loss of the Estonia in 1994, when 852 people drowned in the Baltic Sea after water flooded onto the vessel's car deck, the new International Mari-time Organisation (IMO) regulations concentrate on the stability of roll-on roll-off ferries.

The rules came into force yesterday, but the requirements for existing vessels are being phased in so ships with 85 per cent of a stability value set by the IMO will not be required to comply frilly until October 1998.

Irish Ferries used to run two vessels on its French routes but now operates just one ship, the St Killian.

Industry analysts say the company is unlikely to invest in bringing the vessel up to the new standard, and therefore expect a major investment to be announced by next summer.

The company said yesterday its new ships on the Dublin to Britain routes were among the most modern in the world, built to include the latest technology.

Stena, which serves British ports from Belfast, Dun Laoghaire and Rosslare, said last night it would not be affected by the new rules because it had invested in modern, super-fast ferries designed with safety in mind.

"All our ships, both on the Irish Sea and other European routes, exceed the guidelines set down by the international marine authorities," a spokesman said.