The National Maritime Safety Authority (NMSA) is conducting its special 'Back to School Operation Overload’ this week.
This two-week operation is a follow up to already completed Operation Overload performed by NMSA in cooperation with Provincial Small Craft Administration and Water Police during the Christmas and New Year period.
Back to School operation is comprised of 29 NMSA officer covering six Maritime Provinces including East Sepik, Madang, Morobe, East & West New Britain.
All teams departed Port Moresby on 22nd January for designated posts. Completion of the operation is planned on 5th February.
The previous operation was mainly concentrated on overloading.
This time NMSA will also focus on verification compliance of the small crafts with requirements of the safety equipment indicated in the Small Craft Act.
“Our plan is to conduct safety awareness and distribute the safety checklists to all boat operators and owners as a heads up to be inspected and detained/fined the next time when a small craft inspector boards their boats and make a finding of these deficiencies,” said Acting General Manager/CEO, Captain Krzysztof Orlowski.
The role of the NMSA officers regarding passenger vessels, includes inspection of ship safety certificates and the monitoring of passengers embarking and disembarking ships to ensure their number does not exceed the maximum allowed indicated on the ship’s safety certificate.
NMSA deployed officers are authorised to exercise the Authority’s powers prescribed in the Merchant Shipping Act, 1975.
Instances of non-compliance may lead to detention of the ship, cancellation or suspension of crew certificates of competency and in severe matters even prosecution.
NMSA seeks ship operators’ assistance and cooperation with making sea travel safer over this period and at any time when passengers are on board.
