Latest update January 8th, 2025 4:30 AM
Latest News
- ‘Our Stabroek Block estimate is higher than Exxon’s 11B barrels figure’ – Hess CEO
- Exxon to focus on exploring and appraising more of Stabroek Block before licence expires in 2027 – Routledge
- ‘All hell will break out’ if Gaza hostages aren’t released’—Trump warns
- Chinese company sitting on US$16B worth of gold at Guyana’s Aurora Gold Mine
- Guyana records 60% increase in workplace deaths in 2024 – Labour Minister
Public Works Ministry working to make insurance for speedboats mandatory
While no local insurance company offers insurance for speedboats, the Ministry of Public Works is examining this sector to have speedboat operators mandatorily insure their operations.
Transport Minister, Robeson Benn, during a recent interview with this publication, enlightened that the Ministry is expected to come up with a position on the matter shortly. He said that speedboats involved in passenger carriage on the Demerara, Essequibo, Bartica, Itabali, Mazaruni, and Cuyuni passages are highly regulated. 
Meanwhile, insurance companies do not believe the operations of this mode of transport are adequately regulated and as such are not inclined to offer coverage. It was noted that while marine insurance is offered for large vessels because they are licensed and must provide seaworthiness certificates, speedboats seem to slip under the radar.
According to a source, the insurance industry operates with rules and regulations and would probably be willing to include speedboats under its purview if licensing, maintenance, size and other factors are determined by the relevant authorities. In addition, because of the risk involved the official said premium payment would be high.
The source emphasized that liability insurance for passengers (bodily liability and property liability insurance) should also be considered. “The insurance industry sells different types of liability insurance and this would be a new demand and it is not impossible if the sector is regulated,” the source added.
According to Benn, the Ministry will be looking at boat licensing and licensing for captains and bow men. In addition, over 20 marine cadets are being trained to have greater oversight, inspection, as well in the writing up of incidents on the waterways.
He said the Ministry is not where it wants to be in this sector but efforts are being made to get there.
The Ministry is in possession of some statistical information on passenger satisfaction for water transport. This study has to be improved and replicated on issues affecting water transport, the Minister said.
Benn stressed that the Ministry has already implemented several measures to ensure safety on the waterways. These include improvements with the training and certification of captains and operation methods including inspections and overall surveillance.
“We understand we are in transportation…We are moving people, so we are dealing with the issue of control: the boats operating, the characteristics, the questions of velocity and gravity, and friction. When you have to deal with all these things mishaps may occur,” he said.
The Minister said that the itinerant operations related to mining and other activities on the rivers have seen “pretty horrific accidents”.
“We had a collision where a large number of people died…Then we had one and two accidents in the Pomeroon and Kaituma Rivers, which were related to domestic or agricultural usages activities,” he said.
Taking into consideration persons residing in riverain communities, particularly students traversing the waterways almost daily via canoes or speedboats, the Ministry recently provided 1,000 lifejackets for students.
“We have given out practically all of those lifejackets and we are sourcing more…We are working more on the enforcement issues…We have done things to improve the safety of the vessels in terms of the design and construction and flotation elements and coverage of the weather,” he said.
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
The Horse Racing Authority Bill will solve nothing!
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The Horse Racing Authority Bill of 2024, though ostensibly aimed at regulating horse racing... more
Forget Begging Rich Nations: Caribbean Countries Should Act to Save Themselves
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News- It has long been evident that the world’s richest nations, especially those responsible... more
Weekend Cartoon
