RECENTLY, some comments from journalists about the shipping industry need to be corrected so customers are given true and reliable information about ships that are currently operating in Fiji waters.
I believe the only new ships, which can be classified as firm out, are the ones operated by Government Shipping Services, namely Sigavou, Vunilagi and Cagivou.
I believe ships recently acquired by private shipping companies are second-hand ships operating for a number of years in their respective countries before they were bought and brought over to Fiji.
I believe MSAF, as the approved regulatory authority, has a social and ethical responsibility to advise the public at large about the status of all ships operating in Fiji waters.
The public needs to have this information before travelling in these ships.
Also, it would be in the national interest and importantly for safety reasons, for MSAF to advise the public how they deal with second-hand ship registrations.
What are safety issues and risk areas they explore in their registration processes.
Do they have compliance certification from the sender country?
While it is economical for private ship companies to acquire second-hand ships from abroad, I believe the common denominator is safety and the wellbeing of the travelling public need not be compromised at any level, either it be at regulatory or operational level.
