Safety audit highlights significant concerns
SAMSA commits to creating a fishing vessel safety plan
SOUTH AFRICA: Having completed a three-month safety audit of fishing vessels operating out of all of South Africa’s major fishing harbours, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has highlighted several concerns relating to the age of the fleet, stability issues and the lack of safety management systems.
Decked out in blue boiler suits the management of SAMSA and leadership in the Department of Transport hosted an event in Cape Town yesterday to provide an update on their findings and confirm their commitment to fostering a safety culture within the fishing sector.
Providing an overview of the audit, Acting CEO, Mbalenhle Golding, confirmed that more than 160 fishing vessels had been surveyed during the campaign. She added that findings had highlighted the need to strengthen oversight in the sector.
“We need to ensure that fewer lives are lost,” she said confirming that one of the outcomes of the audit would include the development of a Fishing Vessel Safety Plan.
Recalling recent tragic events that resulted in the loss of lives in the fishing sector, chair of SAMSA’s board, Mahesh Fakir noted that the completed audit, which has seen more than 160 fishing vessels inspected, had been about more than a simple tick box exercise.
“Each audit conducted is more than just a checklist. It's a practical, data-driven, risk-informed step towards saving lives and strengthening our maritime sector.”
“Each audit conducted is more than just a checklist. It's a practical, data-driven, risk-informed step towards saving lives and strengthening our maritime sector,” he told guests.
With three clear objectives, the audit aimed to ensure compliance within the sector; proactively identify as well as mitigate risks, and uplift the working conditions of crew.
“Our aim is to embed a culture of safety, innovation and resilience in the maritime industry,” he said, adding that the audit process would become institutionalised within SAMSA as part of ongoing inspection activities.
In his keynote address, the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, emphasised the importance of the completed audit exercise.
“It is my considered view that this is a defining moment for South Africa's fishing centre but also a moment that demands leadership and a moment that demands action,” he said reflecting on the casualties in the sector and highlighting that nearly 400 commercial fishers have lost their lives since 1996 in South African waters.
“These are not isolated tragedies. I see them as warnings, and they are indictments of systems that need to be fixed. And they are calls for action that we can no longer afford to ignore.”
Describing the audit as an intervention, he said that it had provided a clear measure to assess vessel compliance and to ensure that the operational condition of fishing vessels included functional safety equipment.
“An audit is an aid. It is an opportunity. If it finds something wrong, we can use that finding to correct (it). And so, the audit is designed not only to evaluate compliance, but to restore accountability, to ensure that when life is at risk, we are focusing on the things that need to be done,” he added.
Aging fleets a concern
Addressing some of the key outcomes of the campaign, one of SAMSA’s Principal Officers and a senior member of the audit team, Thandi Mehlo, noted that the aging fishing fleet remains a notable safety issue for the sector.
With an average age across the fleet of around 35 years, many of the active fishing vessels are over 50 years old. Mehlo noted that the two sister vessels in major incidents last year which resulted in loss of life were over 60 years old.
“If the investment in maintenance and management of these vessels is not up to scratch, it will end in problems,” he said while acknowledging the impact of the lack of ship repair facilities in the country’s ports.
“The ship repair facilities are a big problem. There was a time where there was not one single dry dock that was operational in the country and we had to continuously grant exemptions to these vessels.”
“The ship repair facilities are a big problem. There was a time where there was not one single dry dock that was operational in the country and we had to continuously grant exemptions to these vessels,” he added.
Mehlo also highlighted concerns around “illegal modifications” to vessels that have impacted on their stability. “No one is allowed to make any type of modification without notifying the authorities,” he said adding that, although some of the modifications had been undertaken with the “best intentions” and were aimed at optimising fishing operations, there were instances where this had compromised the stability of the vessels.
Also of concern is the lack of safety management systems on board.
“The fishing sector has fallen far behind when it comes to this kind of system. We are trying to put various mechanisms in place to make sure that the fishing sector starts to catch up with this,” he concluded.
With a detailed report due to be published by the authority in the coming months, it will be interesting to note specific data that was not provided during the briefing.
“This is not the end of the audit campaign. It is the start of transformation, and our roadmap, colleagues, is very clear. We must launch a national fishing vessel safety plan and consider a fishing vessel recapitalisation programme, institutionalised training, random inspections and gear upgrades, and hold accountable those who put at risk the lives of others through their noncompliance with regulation and standards, and for us to ensure true prosecution and consequence management,” said Hlengwa as he outlined how the audit should promote future safety developments for the sector.
PHOTO: Deputy Minister of Transport, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, reflects on safety issues within the fishing sector at a function in Cape Town to mark the milestone completion of SAMSA’s safety audit. (© Maritime Review Africa)
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