THE age of a ship is irrelevant and complaints about “old” ships can be admirably parried by reference to the mv Doulos, still sailing majestically through the world’s oceans as she approaches a century of travel.
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GOOD morning. Age is not the issue – it’s the maintenance of a quality vessel that can add years to its life at sea. Importing old ships that are clearly reaching the point of no return, freighters riddled with rust and tramps with paper thin hulls, is obviously an investment in potential disaster.
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SPEAKING as GM of the National Maritime Safety Authority on Tuesday, Chris Rupen noted that the safety monitoring agencies were ill equipped to effectively carry out regular safety inspections. The result is the threat of vessels that are not seaworthy plying our waters.
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THE NMSA has suspended the departure of some vessels as a result of these routine inspections until the captains or the owners comply with instructions to remedy safety failures on board. The Authority was established in 2006 and Mr Rupen was at pains to emphasise that the NMSA seeks to work with ship captains and owners and not against them.
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THERE have been grumbles recently from some ship owners; we think that’s shortsighted. If a ship sinks with many passengers lost, or large cargoes abandoned at sea, the financial claims against the ship owners could also sink their opeartions for good. The same kind of grouches surfaced last year when CAA cracked the whip for similar reasons over some of the smaller aircraft servicing PNG.
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WE encourage Mr Rupen and his officers to continue their campaign to ensure safety for the travelling public and the freight consigned to shipping.
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NOW, in response to those who rightly objected to our misquote involving the Bobby Gentry hit Ode to Billy Joe the other day: abject apologies. Our fading memory confused that unforgettable chart with another, Me and Bobby McGee and the relevant line we wanted was: “freedom’s just another word for nothing else to lose…” The singer was the celebrated Janis Joplin and the lyrics were by Kris Kristofferson. Right then, everybody happy? Cheers!
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- Dee Nesenolis