A 30-year-old Kadavu farmer is the latest fatality recorded at sea after the fibreglass boat that he was travelling in collided with another boat.

The incident happened early Saturday after 1am at Muaisolo Bay in Naceva.

The boat was operated by a 36-year-old man.

In a statement Police said that the victim was thrown overboard because of the impact of the collision and he was found at the bottom of the sea.

Police said the suspect was allegedly travelling at high speed when the incident occurred.

The suspect and three others travelling in the second boat are admitted at the Vunisea Hospital as investigations continue.

At a press conference, the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) acting chief executive officer, Captain Philip Hill said majority of accidents recorded at sea were caused by small boats including fibreglass boats and punts.

He said such incidents at sea have reduced drastically with the introduction of boat master licence (BML) and Restricted Master Engineer Class 6 (RM6) training undertaken by MSAF.

“Part of the training is to teach them what evasive action they will take in case they are crossing or facing each other head on to prevent them from turning in the same direction that will result in them colliding,” Captain Hill said. “We also train them with the rules of the road which tells you what to do in a crossing situation when there is a head on.”

Captain Hill said further training would ensure all Fijians adhered to and complied with the highest standards of safety at sea.

Edited by Percy Kean

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