MSAF: Comply with safety regulations

AS more people travel to the outer islands during the busy season to attend sports competitions, the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) is urging ship operators to comply with safety regulations.

MSAF chief executive officer Joeli Cawaki told news portal The Lens@177, that MSAF has been keeping a close eye to curb overcrowding on board ships.

He was responding to queries by this newspaper regarding an incident on board a ship last week carrying people from Ovalau who were returning from a rugby competition. The people in question were seen sitting near the edge of the ship, while others slept on the floor or stood for the duration of the trip.

Mr Cawaki said the responsibility of the boat operator was to ensure the vessel was not overcrowded.

“For MSAF, we check the number of people coming on to the boat before the vessel departs,” he said.

“If we see that it has exceeded the maximum capacity of the boat, then we tell them that people need to get off.”

He said MSAF would also be monitoring the movements of people from outer islands who used fiber boats as their mode of transportation.

He said because of the limitations in staff and offices, MSAF regularly does spot checks, especially during busy seasons on Fridays

and Saturdays at ports and landing sites.

“This is something that we will increase this year and with a joint operation with Police, Fiji Navy, Ministry of Fisheries, and other relevant stakeholders.

“We will be doing a lot of spot checks this year just to look at, are the vessels registered, and whether the boat operator is qualified.”