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MARAD to tackle uncertified boat operators – Director General
“Accidents don’t happen, they are caused,” said Director of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Claudette Rogers, to a gathering of media operatives yesterday.
She said that there are moves afoot to sensitise those who are operating via the waterways that safety is paramount and is in fact, MARAD’s main objective.
MARAD Director General, Claudette Rogers
Her comments come in the wake of a recent boat accident in the Pomeroon River which claimed the lives of six individuals.
Rogers admitted, too, that “unfortunately we have had more accidents and incidents in 2012 than 2011 and one of the things that we have recognised is that accidents are as a result of human error.”
The Director has attributed the increased number of accidents to the fact that there are a lot more operators and boats that are uncertified. Moreover, she said that MARAD will this year seek to rigorously embark on more awareness seminars.
She added that while measures engaged may not be enough to completely eradicate accidents, the objective is to minimise them.
MARAD is tasked with regulating aspects of the Shipping Act and the operations of the Ports and Harbours Department. And although confronted with the challenges of accidents last year, MARAD was however able to realise many achievements, among them the acquisition of a Pilot Launch namely the M. L. Kakabelly.
Rogers said that efforts were made to embark on the training of Marine Cadets to become Marine Pilots and Marine Inspectors. She disclosed that history has been made with females now being a part of the programme for the first time.
“We have recognised that training is paramount and it is necessary that if persons are not trained then they will not be able to execute their functions in a particular manner…”
And according to Rogers, a group of Marine Cadets will complete the inspector programme by June and are expected to be focused on a particular category of vessel.
During the past year the Department docked some of its vessels and efforts are continually being made to have continuous ISPS inspections of the local port facilities even as 24-hour per day pilotage is offered, Rogers said.
A total of 715 ships were piloted in and out of Port Georgetown as at November 2012, compared to 789 in 2011; in Berbice there were 83 in 2012, and 132 in 2011 while there were none recorded for Essequibo for either years.
Among the piloting categories were tankers, cargo ships and containers, Rogers disclosed.
For 2012 the cargo imported by the piloted vessels was 435,840 metric tons in 2012 while there were 538,303 metric tons imported in 2011.
Cargo export on the other hand accounted for 2,172,789 metric tons last year while there were 2,182,426 metric tons in 2011, Rogers disclosed.
The Department, according to her, has also been able to sustain Flag and Port state inspections relative to safety standards on board Guyana registered and licensed ships. Alluding to the move to have boats outfitted with sheds/superstructures, the Director General said that “we know that this initiative was ridiculed but is now increasingly welcomed by the travelling public.”
And according to her MARAD has observed an increase in the number of boats operating between Parika, Supenaam and Wakenaam.
However, there were evident limitations in the operation of MARAD which, according to Rogers, was not able to do much dredging last year which was due to the need for emergency repairs on the entity’s main dredge, the “Steve N”, so as to facilitate continuous dredging of ships channel.
“The dredge unfortunately had a lot of mechanical defects and we were unable to focus on that specific area and currently we are doing everything we can to ensure that our ‘Steve N’ will be operable in 2013 because we would have been delinquent in that area.”
This year should also see MARAD seeking to improve on its hydrographic surveying capabilities even as 24-hour pilotage continues and inspection of vessel and certification of seafarers continue.
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