Whether they are fishing or carrying passengers, unsafe vessels are a curse on the Pacific.
The New Zealand media has recently exposed cases of Tongan fishermen buying old boats in New Zealand and then sailing them back to the island kingdom, even though many of them are only supposed to be used in coastal waters.
But reports show that unsafe and unseaworthy ships are a common problem, whether fishing in Tonga or carrying passengers in the Solomon Islands.
Many fishing vessels are completely unequipped for working in the deep ocean.
New Zealand authorities can do nothing if Tongan fishermen buy coastal fishing boats in New Zealand and then sail them home. Once they are taken off the New Zealand registry there is nothing the New Zealand government can do.
According to a lengthy report in the Sunday Star Times, they are not subject to a mandatory inspection and once they are registered under the Tongan flag, New Zealand has no jurisdiction over them.
The boats become Tonga’s problem, but there are already widespread issues with fishing boats in the kingdom.
According to a report by Radio Tonga in January, when small fishing boats in the Ha’apai group were surveyed, almost none of them had basic safety equipment.
Almost none of the small fishing boats were equipped with beacons, transceivers, flares or life jackets.
Only four of the fishing boats were actually registered by Tonga’s Marine department.
Former Maritime NZ chief executive Russell Kilvington told the Star Times the Tongan Marine Department was understaffed and lacked expertise.
Nelson boat broker Steve Thomas told the paper sales of fishing boats to Pacific Island nations should be halted until all vessels under 15 metres leaving New Zealand waters had to pass a Maritime NZ safety inspection.
“We’re not doing anyone any favours sending old, rundown trawlers up to the Island nations,” Thomas said.
Many Pacific fishermen are facing a precarious existence, with fishing stocks threatened by Chinese fishing fleets. With little money coming in, they may well skimp on safety measures and see cheap fishing boats from New Zealand as a solution.
However, rather than being a solution, operating New Zealand boats may add to Tonga’s list of maritime disasters and dramas.
The latest was the rescue of Tongan fishermen by a German cruise ship.
The Tongan crew was operating a former New Zealand fishing boat, the Kaianga, that was meant to operate in coastal waters, not in the middle of the Pacific.
Action in the Solomons
At least one Pacific nation has promised to take action on maritime issues after problems with a Tongan vessel.
Last year a Solomon Islands shipping company bought a 50-year old ship in Tonga, the MV Sitka. It ran aground in Fiji.
In the wake of the grounding, the country’s Maritime and Safety Administration said it was time to get tough on the types of ships being brought into the country.
One shipping agent said shipping companies had converted old fishing vessels into cargo and passenger vessels, even though many of them were not seaworthy.
The main points
- The New Zealand media has recently exposed cases of Tongan fishermen buying old boats in New Zealand and then sailing them back to the island kingdom, even though many of them are only supposed to be used in coastal waters.
- Nelson boat broker Steve Thomas told the Sunday Star Times: “We’re not doing anyone any favours sending old, rundown trawlers up to the Island nations.”
- The boats become Tonga’s problem, but there are already widespread issues with fishing boats in the kingdom.
- According to a report by Radio Tonga in January, when small fishing boats in the Ha’apai group were surveyed, almost none of them had basic safety equipment.
For more information
Experts call for action over old fishing boats heading to Pacific
