Programme director
South African Marine Safety Authority Chief Executive Officer, Tsietsi Mokhele
South African Marine Safety Authority Head for Sea Watch, Karl Otto
Chief executive officers from transport entities present
Representatives from the South African Defence Force
Representatives from the South African Navy
Distinguished guests
Members of the media
Ladies and gentlemen
Safety in all modes: Transport Month
When we launched Transport Month at the end of September we stressed government's commitment to safety in all modes of transport. This includes rail, road, air and maritime all of which should provide higher and higher standards of safety. So far during this October Transport Month campaign, we have showcased the importance of safety in transport modes that are rail, road and aviation infrastructure. As part of that commitment today we witness a milestone in maritime safety.
Safety: roads in Africa
All modes must be free of safety issues so they can contribute to the growth and development of our economy. In September this year African ministers and experts gathered in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania to address the challenging issues of road safety in Africa. Road safety has become a real threat to our economies. We lose the best of our people in accidents which are preventable with South Africa losing more than 16 000 people on our roads deaths annually. We estimate that at this rate, road traffic crashes will cost us more lives than HIV and AIDS and tuberculosis (TB) in a few years. This is if we do not take drastic steps to reverse current trends. The issue is now a global concern. The United Nations Global Dialogue in Moscow, Russia will place road safety on the global agenda.
Safety and security: Sea
On Friday we ended a week long African Union Conference for Ministers responsible for Maritime Transport in Durban and reached resolutions that will enable the maritime industry to stimulate economic growth. Among others the conference adopted the African Maritime Transport Charter. This development is a groundbreaking achievement for the continent and the global maritime industry.
The new Centre for Sea Watch and Response (CSWR)
We have gathered here to launch the South African Maritime Safety Authority’s (SAMSA) new Centre for Sea Watch and Response (CSWR) and on behalf of the South African government to launch the long range identification and tracking system (LRIT). We have established this centre to ensure South Africa complies with its own maritime regulations but also with our international obligations emanating from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
Questions have been raised regarding:
* the safety of seafarers
* the standard of ships within South African waters
* the number of wrecks along the coast
* the threat of pollution of the marine environment by ships and
* what are we doing to prevent piracy?
The CSWR, through its LRIT, has the capacity to identify and track vessels up to 1 000 nautical miles (1 850 kilometres) from our coastline as well as South Africa flagged (that is, South African registered) vessels anywhere in the world. The CSWR will also in due course be suitably capacitated with maritime communications and information systems to enable it to communicate directly with all ships at sea within the areas of our responsibility. This system will enable the maritime authority to communicate directly with ships, improving the quality of information exchanged with the vessel’s master who at all times has to be fully appraised of any situation which may develop.
This communication is necessary to improve the centre's response time to maritime incidents. The data from LRIT, which is automatically transmitted every six hours, can also be displayed on an electronic chart which is accessible via a secure website and only with an authorised username and password. Once a vessel is identified, full details of the vessel can be accessed via a ship’s database.
The CSWR has access to the automatic identification system (AIS) data of ships on the coast and in the areas around the major ports of South Africa. This means the vessel’s every move can be tracked.
Revolutionary development
This is a revolutionary development in the security of our seas. Until now we had very limited capacity to identify, track and monitor shipping beyond the horizon. Many ships have sailed our waters without our knowledge. Some may even have polluted our waters unbeknown to us. Until now we have not been able to track vessels which may have carried toxic and hazardous cargo to South African ports or were transiting our waters to foreign destinations.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, shipping enjoys ‘innocent passage’ through territorial waters. However, coastal states are required to protect their marine resources and to prevent and combat pollution of the marine environment. We are therefore determined to protect our seafarers, coastline and the marine environment. It is not enough for the latest technology to seek out criminal elements at sea. The technology needs to be assisted by each and everyone of us here and in the country.
We must all play a role in protecting our maritime environment. We must ensure the safety of navigation, protect the marine environment and ensure that trade routes are safe for South Africa's economic growth. An industry which is responsible for over 90% of imports or exports is an industry we cannot afford to compromise.
Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) here in Cape Town has been in existence for many years and is an integral part of the new Centre. This South African search and rescue function will continue and its efficiency will be enhanced with the provision of vessels’ positions that could assist in maritime rescues when vessels in distress are very far off the coast.
The Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre should be able to address the following:
* to be able to meet the objectives of South African Marine Safety Authority (SAMSA)
* to ensure safety of life and property at sea
* to prevent and combat pollution of the marine environment by ships, and
* to promote South Africa’s maritime interests
Long range identification and tracking system (LRIT)
South Africa is part of the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) convention which deals with the long range identification and tracking of ships (LRIT). In terms of this convention, ships are compelled to automatically report the vessel's identity, position and time every six hours to their flag state via a secured satellite link. This LRIT data is shared within an international database. This means that:
* The South African LRIT National Data Centre, managed by this centre, can access data of vessels within 1 000 miles of our coastline, and also that of Prince Edward Islands
* For the first time ever we have the capacity to identify, track and monitor ships, which are LRIT compliant, way beyond our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of 200 miles
* We now have the capacity to monitor much of our IMO designated search and rescue (SAR) region which extends to the Antarctic.
Maritime domain awareness (MDA)
In addition, the LRIT capacity means the new centre we are launching today now has enhanced maritime domain awareness (MDA). This is not only for the centre’s requirements but also for those departments or agencies involved with maritime traffic. These include the South African National Defence, Environmental Affairs, Revenue Services (customs), Home Affairs (immigration), International Relations and Cooperation (foreign affairs), Transnet National Ports Authority, etc. The information we gather will greatly assist in enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of maritime operations of all cooperating government agencies and parastatals.
To further enhance the centre’s capacity we are proposing the following. In order to increase maritime domain awareness we must consider using satellites. Secondly, we could employ the latest communication technologies which will make direct communication from the centre to ships a reality in the very near future.
Thirdly, we could install sensors on satellites to do imagery, pollution detection, pictures, etc. similar to what the South African SumbandilaSat satellite is doing at the moment.
Conclusion
Ladies and gentlemen the Centre for Sea Watch and Response is well placed to meet our maritime challenges today in our waters and beyond. The centre will also co-operate with its regional and international counterparts to further these maritime objectives.
Please join me in wishing the Centre for Sea Watch and Response every success as it rises to the challenges and needs of the local, regional, continental and world maritime community.
Thank you.
Issued by: Department of Transport
22 October 2009
