Policing the high seas

THE number of lives lost at sea continues to rise.
Unfortunate – but it is a reality citizens of this country have to face because current regulations fail to adequately address safety at sea for travellers and boat operators.
The government, unfortunately, has done little to address the problem faced by thousands of people living in the outlying islands and coastal areas whose only means of travel is by sea.
Tragedies often happen when we least expect them. But to minimise the chances of them happening, people have to take precautions and follow the rules.
The country needs stringent regulations to guide sea travel. Right now.
There should be clear rules which everyone – boat operators and travellers – have to observe and follow before they leave on a journey. They should be styled along traffic rules which motorists and passengers follow. They break the rules at their own peril. And if the accidents are due to negligence or breaching regulations, punishment must be severe and swift. It is the best deterrent.
For example, the size of the boat and the outboard engine it uses and how much extra fuel it should carry on each trip must be regulated. They must carry sufficient life rafts.
Equally important is the number of passengers and the amount of cargo each boat is allowed to carry on any one trip.
Then there is the issue of weather warnings which for some reason people ignore –  and later regret when there is a mishap at sea.
It is often that people living in the islands ignore strong wind warnings and venture out to sea during bad weather.  Whether to go fishing or travel to other places, they throw caution to the wind buoyed by the confidence of having done it successfully so many times before – plus the experience of travelling in such treacherous conditions.
In fact years of practice and experience in sea travel put them in good stead as it is the only means of travelling from one point to the next.
They have watched their grandfathers and village elders do it so many times that it becomes a necessary means of survival.
But the people have to be told to not take risks and heed weather warnings. There should be penalties for those who ignore the warnings.
The government knows how much it costs to conduct searches and rescue operations when people encounter mishaps at sea.
And the rules are useless if they are not monitored and enforced. There is a National Maritime Safety Authority which should be monitoring safety at sea.
Whatever regulations it is enforcing now to guide boat operators and travellers are not working. Or not enough. More needs to be done obviously – to save lives.
It is long overdue but stringent rules are important to ensure safety for sea travellers.
The recent deaths of two toddlers and their uncle when their boat capsized in the dark at sea reminds us yet again of the perils of sea travel. They should not have been allowed to travel in the first place.
Surrounded by a vast expanse of ocean, it is inevitable that sea travel in island nations such as Papua New Guinea become a norm because it is inevitable and necessary for those living in the outlying island groups and coastal areas to use the sea to reach other destinations.
For most of them, there just is no other means of travelling than by sea. For ages they have used and adapted to this form of travel as their only means of communication and accessing other places.
For a country with islands scattered across the group, the need for sea travel becomes inevitable.
But as has been witnessed in the recent holiday season, not everyone arrived safely at their destinations. One can safely say that the maritime safety statistics will clearly show that the so many lives have been lost of sea because of people’s irresponsible conduct.
The national and provincial governments need to take the lead in regulating safety at sea by ensuring all those who operate boats either commercially or in a private capacity have safety equipment on board.
Strict rules governing sea travel will force boat operators to ensure that passenger safety becomes a priority.
Some island countries have laws to prosecute boat operators for negligence if they do not follow regulations.
As a result, some have had their vessel or operators’ licences revoked or suspended.
There has been too many unnecessary loss of lives at sea. It needs to be stopped.