Endorse laws to punish boat operators: Official

The National Main Stories

THERE must be laws to punish small boat operators who defy weather warnings and rules regarding safety at sea issued by authorities, an official says.
Madang Disaster Officer director Rudolph Mongalle said currently there were no laws giving the police the power to arrest disobedient small boat operators who always flouted the rules.
He said in Madang, the Small Craft Act had been drafted and submitted to the provincial government for endorsement.
But it has not been done.
“I want them to endorse it as soon as possible because the boat operators are not obeying instructions from the Maritime Safety Authority or the disaster officers through awareness,” he said.
“They are still overloading and are going out to sea during bad weather.”
He said some boats transporting people were not registered.
Mongalle said the Water Police had been cautioning boat captains against overloading and failing to follow safety measures at sea.

2 comments

  • This is a good call from the Madang Disaster Officer director Rudolph Mongalle. Its about time those ignorant boat operators and owners had to think “Safety First”

  • Water Transport is very important for Marinetime provinces and it’s people. Refulling stations should be well established. Drivers, pilots or skippers of public water crafts (PWCs) should think Safety First for their passengers. So many time we hear of boats going adrift due to “running out of fuel” or “Overloading” or Pilots or Skippers ” Getting Drunk”. Laws should be tighten up and heavy fines imposed on those found to be negligent……

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