Move to harmonise Marine Act underway

MASEMBE TAMBWE

PLANS to harmonise Maritime Acts in both Zanzibar and Tanzania Mainland are underway to ensure maximum safety on the sea.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry for Transport, Eng Omar Chambo,  said this in Dar es Salaam during the start of a two-day meeting that currently Zanzibar is governed by Maritime Transport Act of 2006 while the mainland is using the Merchant Shipping Act of 2003.

“We are meeting here to seek ways of working together better particularly on how to merge the two Acts for more effectiveness in operations,” he said.

Chambo said that evidence showed that better supervision of marine vessels urgently required closer cooperation between the Surface and Marine Transport Regulatory Authority (SUMATRA) and the Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA).

 He explained that it was only through cooperation between the two authorities that tragic accidents like the MV Skaget that occurred recently and last year’s which caused massive loss of life and property will be avoided.

“During this meeting the areas that will be touched include registration conditions for passenger vessels, joint inspections of vessels, better usage of feedback given by marine inspectors, review of inspection procedures for lifebuoys, lifejackets and life rafts,” he said.

Other topics of the meeting include review of the insurance for third party liabilities, the possibility of limiting passengers from entering the port to reduce congestion and safety, seek better ways of handling the passenger and cargo manifest and alternative ways of improving the exercise.     

The meeting will offer suggestions on how to improve marine rescue missions and building the capacity of marine police, the navy, the Tanzania Port Authority and the Zanzibar Port Authority, according to the PS.

The ZMA Acting Director General, Mr Abdullah Kombo, said merging the two Acts was the best answer to marine safety challenges.  Mr Kombo said further that conditions for registration which differs between Zanzibar and Tanzania was another subject for discussion during the meeting.

“Marine accidents are not measure for safety because accidents are connected to many factors. Our objective is to meet all maritime international standards that we have agreed to,” he said.

The SUMATRA Director of Maritime Safety and Security, Captain King Chiragi, assured that marine safety in the country was still very good and the recent accidents should not scare people.

Captain Chiragi dismissed the talk that most vessels were scrap from being overused saying that the harmonisation of the Acts would check on this, adding that through good maintenance, ships can last for a long time.

Source: Daily News (26/08/2012): http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/8901-move-to-harmonise-marine-act-underway