No system for vessel reporting revealed

THE National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) has not taken any steps to ensure that ships report regularly to Coastal Radio, an officer told the mv Rabaul Queen ferry trial yesterday.
NMSA Coastal Radio officer Enos Tirip, when cross-examined by defence lawyers, said: “There is no law or penalty given if ships do not contact us.”
Justice Terrence Higgins pursued the question further by asking if there was a law, in which Tirip took time to answer before replying: “No.”
Tirip told the trial that at any time in a day, they would record five ships in the waters of the country within their broadcast range.
He said from Jan 29 to Feb 4, 2012  Coastal Radio had records in its logbook of other ships contacting them except for the mv Rabaul Queen.