Loopholes in shipping services

The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji (MSAF) has uncovered many recurring loopholes in the way shipping vessels in Suva operate.

One of these included the operations within the Goundar Shipping Limited, MSAF said.

The loopholes came to light after MSAF, and other shipping companies had a meeting yesterday morning at Walu Bay, Suva, to discuss the issues at hand.

Abuse of office

MSAF’s chief executive officer, Joweli Cawaki said Goundar Shipping Ltd had reported incidents of abuse of office by some staff members who had been discreetly selling tickets to their relatives and stealing the payments. This is among causes of overloading of passengers during boarding time, MSAF said..

Mr Cawaki said this was an ongoing issue that they had been trying to address.

“It’s really hard to keep people who are trustworthy with money,” Mr Cawaki said.

“Part of the blame was also placed on the public and the way they move around.

“Some would pay today, but because they miss their trip, they opt for another day, and when that happens, the listing becomes longer as they try to accommodate them.”

MSAF said members of the public blamed MSAF at times for seizing a boat because of overloading, however, it was part of their job to ensure safety is accommodated in every vessel.

Mr Cawaki said changes would include one ship on standby to cater for the huge number of passengers.

“For instance, if the boat that takes the route from Suva to Gau, Koro, Savusavu and Taveuni becomes overloaded, then boat owners will have to off-load Gau and Koro passengers for another boat to transport them,” he said.

Mr Cawaki said they would ensure that shipping companies comply with regulations of sea travel.

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