Yesterday, I reported the following based on an article published by the Island Sun newspaper and I very much regret that I had not picked up on the quite separate news that 14 passengers aboard another small boat that left Gizo for the Shortland Islands on New Year’s Day were still unaccounted for at sea.
I apologise if my report yesterday added to false hopes to distressed relatives of the 14 missing boat passengers.
This is my piece from yesterday, and I quote.
The Island Sun newspaper reports that the Auki provincial police have found a 30hp outboard motor engine vessel outside Ataa with four children and an adult male from Ndai.
The boat was found drifting after it encountered mechanical problem while on its way to Malu’u.
Auki Police Operation Manager Michael Ramosaea says the boat was found and everyone onboard was fine
He said after the skipper (adult man) made several attempts to fix the problem and nothing worked, the boat was drifting only with the hope to be seen and rescued.
He says luckily, they received coverage signals from one of the towers within Lau area and they alerted relatives in Honiara of the situation.
Mr Ramosaea says from Honiara, a report was conveyed to them and they immediately deployed a search mission on the afternoon of the day to look out for the boat.
He said the search started at Malu’u area and into Lau lagoon as far as Ataa where the boat was found at night.
Mr.Ramosaea reminds the public to check their boats well before travelling out to avoid incidents such as occurred.
Source. Island Sun newspaper.
Comment
Thankfully all the missing boat passengers were found safe and thanks are given to those who swiftly mounted a rescue mission.
The incident is yet a further reminder to all boat owners and operators to ensure boats carry signals equipment, engines are in working order, water and spare fuel is carried on board and all passengers and boat crew wear life jackets.
End of quote.
Tragically I read a news bulletin released by Radio New Zealand a short while ago that said, quote.
Police and maritime officials in the Solomon Islands have found the body of a woman they believe is one of 14 people missing at sea since New Year's Day.
The woman was found on Tuesday night near Zinoa Island, Vouza in Choiseul Province, and northwest of the Solomons capital Honiara, the head of maritime Thierry Nervale told RNZ Pacific.
This is more than 100 kilometres from the Shortland Islands.
Nervale said her body has been transported to Taro Island by the police and medical team.
Assistant Police Commissioner National Operations Evelyn Thugea said a family member of the woman had identified the body.
Thugea said the relative had also confirmed the woman was among passengers missing at sea after a boat they were travelling in failed to reach its destination on 1 January.
"The dead bodyn had started to decompose but a tattoo written at the back and the upper left arm was still visible to identify the body," Ms. Thugea said.
Nervale said two boatloads of people had left Gizo for Harapa in the Shortland Islands to attend a funeral.
One boat had drifted and reached Moli Island, Nervale said.
Among the 14 missing were children including a nine-year-old and a four-year-old.
"On their way, almost reaching the Shortland Islands they met very strong winds, the two boats then somehow separated but only one of the boats managed to navigate and arrive safely in Taro, on January 2," he said.
Taro Police said a mobile phone belonging to one of the passengers in the missing boat was called, and it rang but no one answered it.
On attempts to track the whereabouts of the phone, they alerted telecommunications provider, Our Telekom, and were informed that the phone was detected within the Sasamunga or within south Choiseul range of Telekom's mobile network.
"Villages along Sasamunga and south Choiseul were notified of any sightings of the boat or floating objects since police received the report of it missing, but there is still no sighting of anything," said Sibere Tauroa of Taro Police.
Nervale said bad weather conditions had delayed the search and rescue efforts this morning but he added they would head out once the heavy rain and winds eased.
Let us all hope that the remaining passengers aboard that ill-fated boat will still be found and safe, but writing in the Solomon Times today, Jimmy Nolan has once more put the case for proper regulations relating to the operation of small boats.
This is what he had to say, quote.
The recent boat tragedy has highlighted the need for authorities to do more to regulate the use of small boats in the country.
Too many lives have been lost at sea, and often times such boating disasters could have been avoided if basic safety measures were adhered to.
Despite public safety campaigns and warnings during bad weather small boats continue to crisscross our waters, putting the lives of passengers at risk.
The number of people dying at sea continues to rise, and will continue to rise if nothing is done to curb bad practices or risky behavior by way of strengthening or enacting new laws or regulations.
Our current laws focus solely on safety requirements for passenger boats, but fails to address small boats that now seem to dominate the way our people travel interisland.
Despite such boating tragedies people will continue to overloaded their boats, travel with limited fuel, travel in bad weather and skippers consuming alcohol. These are the bad decisions that directly cause loss of life at sea, and nothing is being done about it.
It is time that we look at our maritime laws and find ways to prevent further deaths at sea. Serious consideration should be given to the enactment of laws that manage and promote sea safety for small boat owners, operators and passengers.
Small boats will continue to be the main form of transportation for many of our people, and safety at sea will not be adhered to simply because there are no penalties for bad behavior or practice.
We all recognize the need to improve seafarer attitudes to safety requirements when traveling at sea, and the need to foster a safety-first culture at sea in Solomon Islands. This can only be achieved if there is national legislation for small boats – the high incidence of fatalities at sea must be addressed with a greater sense of urgency.
End of quote.
Comment
Over many years there have been so many tragic incidents of people lost at sea in the Solomon Islands and what jimmy Nolan has said today I have repeatedly warned about and so as the Prime Minister on several occasions.
Safety measures for small boats and their operational use must be addressed with the urgency demanded and with enforceable legislation and supervision, without such action there will occur more fatalities at sea with all the heart ache and distress we are witnessing yet again.
Sources – Island Sun and Solomon Times Online newspapers and Radio New Zealand.
Yours sincerely
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
