THE three New Ireland MPs have been urged to improve sea transport and take other steps to reduce the number of boat mishaps in the region.
Kopkop College principal Maria Kopkop said there had been several incidents of late off the coast of Namatanai, Lihir and East New Britain which was cause for concern.
She said many people had to travel to East New Britain because of a lack of services in Namatanai.
She said while boat incidents had been happening for years, “nothing had been done to prevent them either”.
“The problem has been there for the last 32 years since the Australian administration left the public service of New Ireland,” she told The National.
Mrs Kopkop recalled that vessels such as mv Bakan and mv Roberts were the last forms of diligent sea transport that used to transport people from Lihir to Namatanai and Namatanai to Rabaul.
“They provided service to people and families both economically and aided in culture exchange.”
Mrs Kopkop suggested that it be made a requirement for all passenger boats be registered and issued a certificate.

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