Experts in marine safety in Tanzania have appealed for stricter compliance to maritime safety regulations, saying that most maritime accidents are entirely preventable if such regulations are followed to the letter.
Participants at this week’s Maritime Safety Workshop in Dar es Salaam collaborated to determine what challenges faced the marine industry in Tanzania, citing a lack of advanced navigational charts as one of the biggest weaknesses in the industry. According to experts in the field, a majority of vessel crew members in the region (particularly on Lake Victoria) were navigating purely through experience rather than following charts and maps, leading to loss of life, injury and damage to property.
According to the Chairman of the Marine Classification Society of Tanzania, Thomas Mayagila, a lack of charts contributed greatly to marine accidents on the Lake. Mayagila, an engineer by profession, said that navigation chart use should be a mandatory requirement for vessel operators, regardless of their level of experience.
Mayagila referred in his address to the MV Bukoba passenger ferry accident in May 1996, that claimed more than 1000 lives after the ferry sank in Lake Victoria around 56km off the Mwanza shoreline. There have been a number of other tragic ferry accidents on Lake Victoria in recent years, including the sinking of the MV Skagit in June this year in which 144 people were killed, and the Spice Islander sinking in September 2011 that killed 203 people. There have been a number of factors contributing to these accidents, including overcrowding, bad weather conditions and negligence on the part of the vessel operators.
Marine transport expert and university lecturer Jovin Mwemezi recommended that stakeholders in both the public and private maritime sectors cooperate in order to promote stricter observance of all aspects of marine safety by vessel operators throughout the region. In addition, Mwemeze emphasised the importance of appropriate management of marine accidents when they occur, saying that rescue operations and salvage efforts should be streamlined.
Another participant, Hussein Said, put forward a suggestion that training of crew members and particularly captains of passenger vessels should include recommendations on assisting passengers rather than simply rectifying mechanical problems on vessels. The principal of the Dar es Salaam Marine College, Yasin Songoro, reiterated this point saying that a number of ship captains have never received any formal training regarding marine accident prevention and safety. There is a lack of training institutes for maritime personnel, with only five Marine colleges being found in the whole of Africa, said Songoro.
