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GMA TO SUPPORT PATROL ON VOLTA LAKE
| GMA TO SUPPORT PATROL ON VOLTA LAKEThe Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA) will soon come out with a new law to regulate inland waterways transportation, as the existing regulations are outdated, Mr. Issaka Peter Azuma, Director General of the GMA has stated.He explained that the draft of the new law to be based on the 2002 International Maritime Organization (IMO) Model Regulations on inland waterways vessels operating in Africa is being fine-tuned to be forwarded to Parliament for consideration.Mr. Azuma who disclosed this at a durbar on safety of transportation on inland waterways at Tapa Abotoase in the Volta region, said under the new law, boats and boat owners would require licenses before operating on the Volta Lake, while boat operators would have to be certified before they could operate.The durbar was attended by boat owners, operators and members of the travelling public and it was to sensitize them as to what the Authority was doing to ensure safety of transportation on the Volta Lake.The Director General gave the assurance that the GMA will provide patrol boats for the Naval Task Forces (NTF) stationed along the Volta Lake to check unauthorized activities on the Lake.Preliminary investigations into the causes of previous accidents on the Lake had showed that most of the accidents were as a result of human error, he stated.In all, over 250 boats marked with maximum load line and assigned passenger and cargo carrying capacities operate along the Volta Lake in areas including Tapa Abotoase, Yeji, Dzemeni, Kpando Torkor, Kejeji, Kete Krachi and Dambai.Mr. Azuma stated that considering the success story of the NTFs so far, the Authority was looking at the provision of local presence at the major boat centres in the form of Lake Traffic Units to enforce safety measures initially alongside the NTF and later to replace the NTF.On the Tapa Abotoase Landing Terminal which had been on the drawing board since the formation of the Volta Lake, Mr. Azuma gave the assurance that plans were in place to kick-start the project to provide proper terminals for passengers to rest or to wait for boats to their destinations.“We have started sourcing for funds through the Ministry of Transport and there are some positive signs”, he stated and urged boat operators to ensure that their boats were equipped with the right safety equipment.The Commander of the Eastern Naval Command, CDR Albert Addison, advised the boat operators to be wary of locally manufactured life jackets, which were not efficient as foreign ones.He said most of the operators in the wake of accidents, were supplied with life jackets for use on the boats in case of an emergency, but unfortunately, some were keeping the jackets at home.He therefore urged them to desist from such practice and to put the jackets on board the boats to safeguard the safety of passengers in case of emergency.The Chief of Tapa Abotoase, Baffour Okoforobour Kwame Asante II, attested to the fact that the presence of the Naval Task Forces had adequately addressed the problem of overloading.He however pointed out that another problem that still remained to be tackled was the countless tree stumps which needed to be removed to prevent accidents on the Lake.The Secretary of the Boat Operators Association, Mr. Kaizaro Awoye Morganu, on behalf of the boat operators expressed appreciation to the GMA and the NTF for their assistance in ensuring safety at the landing stages.He appealed to the Authority to speed up the processes at ensuring the Task Forces were equipped with patrol boats to enable them to monitor activities on the Lake or to partake in search and rescue activities should an accident occur on the Lake. | | 20th October 2009
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| Author: GMA PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT |
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