Authority detains eight vessels after inspection

THE National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) detained eight of the 11 vessels it inspected in West New Britain (WNB) early this month.
The authority said in a media statement that the inspections were conducted to clamp down on ship owners and operators who knowingly operated unseaworthy vessels in remote log pods in the province where many logging activities were being carried out.
The authority anticipates to conduct similar field inspection trips in all maritime provinces to identify the exact number of vessels operating within the country and for compliance purposes.
The inspection was conducted by NMSA’s Kimbe-based officer-in-charge Daniel Binaip and manager-investigation and enforcement Joseph Pyawan.
The areas covered were Kobe, Gloucester and Bialla.
The Kandrian and Gasmata areas are yet to be inspected due to its distant location.
However, these areas will still be covered during the dry season.
Three vessels were detained in Silivuti log pond, three in Silimate log pond and one each in Lasibu and Bialla.
Of the eight, two tug boats detained in Silimate needed to be further investigated following reports from the crew on board that the two tugs had no physical radio inspection done on them before the radio certificates were issued.
NMSA general manager/chief executive officer Paul Unas said the recent operation in WNB should be a warning to all ship owners and operators.