Minister Koya: Safety at sea ‘paramount’
THE Fijian Government places paramount importance on safety at sea for all Fijians by implementing strategies and programmes employed to raise awareness, regulate and enforce laws in favour of safety.
This was highlighted by the Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, Faiyaz Koya while opening the 12th office of the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) in Pacific Harbour recently.
“Given our geographical dispersion; improving inter-island marine transportation is essential for our livelihoods, for trade, commerce and more importantly, it is our commitment in line with the 5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plan (NDP),” Minister Koya said. “We are still investing in initiatives that we know matter to Fijians and that’s why this project, valued at $20,000, is more than an investment in an office space - it’s an investment in the maritime sector and our service to Fijians,” he added.
“In our commitment to validate the phrase “No Fijian is left behind”, the opening of this new office is certainly the progression of Government’s interest in ensuring that every seafarer living along the Lami to Serua corridor and all its surrounding islands can access our services without having to travel all the way to Suva.”
“In decentralising services such as ship clearance to outer stations like this, we are determined to increase effectiveness in service delivery and also provide MSAF with the early signs of potential challenges faced by Fijians in areas that we serve in for a quick remedial action,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Fijian Government has allocated a budget of $2.6 million to private vessel operators and government shipping services this financial year to serve 10 uneconomical
routes - more than 80 franchise ports.
“We want to connect as many Fijians and goods and services across our islands and this is why we introduced an additional route - Beqa, Yanuca and Vatulele, which began its maiden voyage in February, this year,” Minister Koya said.
“This service is made to 14 villages with a population of 2,050 people (Beqa: 1,000, Yanuca: 200 and Vatulele: 850) ensuring our people in the island communities have access to transport services for movement of both passengers and important cargo.”
Minister Koya said this must be looked at holistically to ensure all arms of the maritime sector work and complement each other. He adds that it is a grave concern that resources
need to be deployed each time there is a search and rescue mission as lives are in danger and safety has been compromised. “Statistics from the Fiji Maritime Surveillance Rescue Coordination Centre (FMRSCC) managed by the Republic of Fiji Navy, recorded a total of 64 search and rescue operations last year alone. Of this figure, five cases were from this area,” he said.
“From the cases reported, FMSRCC spent approximately $90,000 on these operations and 165 persons were rescued, 52 were self-rescue and 11 have been declared missing at sea.” “I am pleading with all our seafarers, boat masters and members of the public living in this area, please do take boat safety seriously,” he said.