ENB vocational centre set to provide safety fittings

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday 1st May 2013

 WOOLNOUGH Vocational Centre in East New Britain is ready to provide safety fittings to dinghies (banana boats) that travel the coastal and islands areas.

A recent two-week training workshop at the institution saw 15 participants from East New Britain, West New Britain and Bougainville gain skills on marine safety.

The training covered safety fitting on small boats and maintenance of fibre-glass boats.

Woolnough Vocational Centre manager Oliver Pereu said the workshop was funded by AusAID and carried out by the community water transport and facilitated by an instructor from Badili Vocational Centre.

He said participants were shown how to re-modify boat with air chambers building in three boxes and covering them with fibre glass so that it trapped air in so when a boat capsized, it would not sink but float adrift. 

He said passengers were now able to hang on the boat and drift until help arrived. 

He added that in this way boats would be refitted to fit safety standards and was a lifetime skill, as plans were in place to conduct training for boat operators to gain skills on fitting air chambers that would go long way in saving lives.

He said the training programme was introduced by the National Transport Department recognising that maritime provinces had seen many lives lost at sea and the government was placing emphasis was on improving safety.

At the end of the workshop, two dinghies fitted with three air chambers each were taken out to sea and trialed but did not sink and remained floating.

The awareness on modifying small boats was a new concept and being introduced slowly to the New Guinea Islands region as part of sea transport safety.