MP, Minister of Transport, Waterfront, Cape Town
19 October 2006
It is an honour for me to be at this Fishing Vessel Safety Indaba today and
to engage on this very challenging subject of safety in the fishing
industry.
The contribution of the fishing industry to the economic growth of the
country cannot be underestimated. In real terms it may appear minimal compared
to other industries such as mining, manufacturing, telecommunications and the
like, however, its socio-economic impact is phenomenal. In many coastal
communities fishing provides for basic livelihood without which there can be no
community.
Our economy is calling for sustainable investment in infrastructure, human
resources and efficient transport services that safeguards lives and economic
growth. The maritime industry is not an exception to this sustainability.
The greatest challenge facing the fishing vessel industry is the safety of
the personnel, infrastructure and equipment such as vessels. Whilst every
business involves a degree of risk to life, the fishing industry is highly
exposed to immense risks everyday. Those who ply their trade in this
environment are continuously exposed to high and rough tides that have a
potential of serious injuries or even the loss of life, skills limitations as
well as poor state of infrastructure to do business. These are realities that
the fishing industry, communities, government and other stakeholders must
address if the fishing industry is to remain sustainable and an economic
backbone of some coastal communities as well as the key contributor to the
economy. In spite of these challenges, the fishing industry remains determined
to continue their trade and such, their working conditions must be
improved.
This season we are advised that for the Lobster boats, besides the issue of
quotas, weather conditions have reduced their catch by about 50 percent. This
may result in the temptations of fishers to want to brave the harsh weather
conditions to make up for this loss. Whilst the immediate financial impact is
appreciated, the unnecessary exposure to the risk to life is never justifiable,
and we appeal to those in this business not to yield to this temptation.
Statistics from the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) indicate
that in the recent past there have been a considerable number of accidents
resulting in the loss of life which is deeply regretted. For the period 1996 to
2005 about 269 fishers lost their lives at sea. In 2005, 25 fishers lost their
lives at sea in 12 separate incidents. This indeed indicates a need for a
concerted strategy to overcome this challenge.
The major incident recorded in 2005 was the collision between the Lindsay
and the Ouro do Brasil, where about 14 crewmembers of the Lindsay died after
the vessels were in a collision. The Marine Court of Inquiry that the Minister
convened to investigate the circumstances of the cause of the collision,
emphasised a need for the development of a safety culture within the fishing
industry.
The findings by the Marine Court of Inquiry are very clear and do not
warrant a debate in so far as they relate to the provision of safety within
this industry. Consequently, the Department together with SAMSA are now
reinforcing the best ways of delivering safety to the fishing industry. We
recognise that safety is a function of many things including information
availability and accessibility, training and development of skills of those in
the industry and potential entrants, proper legislation and regulations as well
as proper compliance with and enforcement of the legislation and
regulations.
Every level of business or investment must as a necessity prioritise the
issues of safety and security, human capacity development for the
sustainability of the industry. We are vigilant in the implementation of the
safety requirements and we will deal decisively with those authorities that do
not resolve matters leading to accidents.
The Department in collaboration with SAMSA will take the following
corrective actions to address various findings from the Marine Court of
Inquiry:
* Enforce the existing traffic separations schemes to keep fishing vessels
and commercial vessels apart as well as investigate the possibility, in
consultation with the relevant stakeholders and the International Maritime
Organisation (IMO), of introducing more of these where they do not exist. You
will note that similar schemes were approved in 1998 by the Maritime Safety
Committee of the IMO around the Mossgas FA and the Alphard Banks. The challenge
is to continuously monitor their effectiveness.
* Review the regulations that require various electronic navigation and
anti-collision equipment to ensure that fishing vessels are equipped with
modern aids to avoid accidents at an affordable cost.
* Fast track the promulgation of the training and certification regulations
which have already been published for comment.
Experience tells us that there is a tendency to act when there has been a
major incident. This culture should be rooted out completely. Safety measures
that are introduced to save lives and protect the integrity and sustainability
of the industry should become the safety culture that we all live by as was
correctly held by the Marine Court of Inquiry.
South Africa is committed to the New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) programme and supports and learns from the Southern African Development
Community (SADC) countries that depend on fishing as a means of income. The
Department through SAMSA will ensure that proper training needs are covered and
safety mechanisms are established to enhance the culture of safety in their
fishing community. Discussions with marine and coastal management have
commenced with a view to enlarging the scope of responsibilities for the
fisheries control officers and to identify and report unsafe vessels and
operating practices.
SAMSA will also support the Transport Education and Training Authority
(TETA) by assisting them to identify the training needs and have access to
funding. The National Skills Fund funded the small boat fishing project to the
tune of R32 million. The project started in 2002 and ran for three years under
the management structures of TETA and a localised task team was appointed to
oversee implementation.
The goal was to provide relevant, aligned learning to 1 750 learners
currently employed by Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) within the
fishing sector. All training initiatives were aimed at SMMEs, which equated
mainly to the previously disadvantaged fishing community, especially those that
were given quotas that they could not use effectively because of lack of
competencies.
The objective of this indaba will not be attained if the industry and other
players do not address the contributory factors to the courses of accidents
such as defects found on some of the fishing vessels, and complacency found
amongst fishers onboard. As a matter of fact research has shown that the
majority of accidents occur as a result of the human factor, hence the IMO has
taken great interest in addressing this matter. In addition, the Department is
already closing the gap on non-compliance with safety standards by forming a
strong partnership with the Department of Labour which sets minimum employment
conditions.
To ensure that safety is not compromised in an unlikely event of an
accident, government established though an Act of Parliament the South African
Search and Rescue (SASAR) organisation.
It is appropriate to pay homage to the search and rescue community who
dedicate their lives to saving lives of people who are exposed to tempestuous
conditions at sea. The critical nature of this service has been acknowledged by
the IMO in creating an award for recognition of bravery at sea. We should
therefore continuously strive to identify those who excel in this dangerous and
yet rewarding course.
SASAR is charged with the co-ordination of all aeronautical and maritime
accidents and/or incidents within South Africa's area of responsibility, which
includes our flight information region and sea area.
In an endeavour to deal swiftly with all incidents or accidents occurring in
our maritime search and rescue region, a dedicated Maritime Rescue
Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) has been created and managed by SAMSA on behalf of
my Department since 2004. The MRCC operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week
and 365 days a year. It is situated in Plattekloof, Cape Town.
The IMO, at its 23rd session of assembly, adopted a resolution to establish
the Voluntary IMO Member State Audit Scheme (VIMSAS) with the aim of assisting
Member States to improve their safety, search and rescue capabilities.
The objective of the scheme is to determine to what extent are Member States
implementing and enforcing the applicable IMO instruments. In order to achieve
this, the audit scheme will:
* assess the compliance with the code for the implementation of mandatory
IMO instruments
* observe that the Member State has enacted legislation for the applicable IMO
instruments relating to maritime safety and prevention of pollution to which it
is a party
* foster capacity-building and the provision of related technical
assistance
* provide the audited Member State with feedback to assist in improving its
capacity to implement the applicable IMO instruments.
The adoption of the voluntary audit scheme will undoubtedly lead to
mandatory quality management for our maritime administration.
I hope that after today's fishing vessel safety indaba, the fishing
community will re-visit safety issues with more determined efforts to alleviate
the high loss of life from our fishing vessels and the hardship suffered by the
families of our fisher-folk. The training, employment and empowerment of our
previously disadvantaged people are very serious concerns. Without these, there
can be no equity or growth in the maritime industry.
In conclusion, I urge all in the maritime industry to make significant
contributions to our economy by safeguarding the fishing industry through
investment in safety programmes, safe vessels and skilled personnel.
I thank you!
Issued by: Department of Transport
19 October 2006
