Awesa wants firm prosecuted

By JEFFREY ELAPA
TRANSPORT and Civil Authority Minister Francis Awesa has recommended that Steamships Shipping be prosecuted for breaching safety regulations.
It follows an investigation by the National Maritime Authority into the grounding of the mv Lahara Chief at Ela Beach or Walter Bay, near Port Moresby.
He said the ship owned by Steamships was under the command of John Wawi, a holder of a Mate Class 3 Certificate of Competency.
Awesa said Steamships Shipping Ltd failed to hire a qualified captain as a certified master instead of a Mate Class 3 Certificate holder for the vessel.
The investigations revealed that subsequent to the grounding of the ship, the owner filed a report with NMSA against Wawi alleging that a standard has not been maintained.
Pursuant to that report from the owner, the NMSA set up an investigation under the Merchant Shipping regulation.
This regulation implements that the international Standards of Training Certification and Watch keeping Convention, to which PNG is a signatory.
The purpose of the investigation was to probe under Section 40 of the regulation the report filed by the owner against Wawi and as per section 41 of the regulation.
The NMSA formed a panel to conduct the investigation, consisting of Capt Nafizul Hossain, the manager of survey and inspections of NMSA and a holder of Master Class 1 certificate from United Kingdom, and Capt Cyril Mudalige, senior surveyor and inspector of NMSA, a holder of a Class 1 engineering certificate from United Kingdom.
The investigation found that Wawi was negligent in his duties as a seafarer and caused the vessel to run aground.
It was found that as the captain of the ship, he did not possess the required certificate of competence as master and Steamship Shipping Ltd had breached the merchant shipping convention regulations by failing to comply with the provisions contained in Section 8 of the regulations.
After careful consideration and evaluation of all the facts, it was recommended that Wawi’s Mate Class 3 Certificate be cancelled.
However, on a humanitarian reason, he was demoted to a  Mate Class 4 certificate.
NMSA will consider prosecuting the owners of the ship for breaching section 8 of the Merchant Shipping Convention Regulation.