The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has been directed to conduct urgent safety audits of all commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters.
As explained, in 2024, serious fishing incidents tragically resulted in the loss of eighteen fishers’ lives. On 22 October 2024, the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, instructed the Board Chairperson of SAMSA, Mahesh Fakir, to conduct urgent safety inspections of all South African commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters and present a report as soon as possible. This instruction came amid growing concerns regarding incidents involving fishing vessels at sea.
SAMSA has also been instructed to develop a fishing vessel safety improvement plan aimed at minimizing future incidents and ensuring that fishing vessels meet the highest safety standards.
Key objectives of the safety audits
The overall objective of the project is to assess the state of safety compliance of the South African commercial fishing fleet, identify gaps in compliance with national and international maritime regulations, and provide recommendations to enhance safety standards.
The audit will specifically:
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Establish the compliance of South African commercial fishing vessels with national legislation and international best practices.
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Evaluate the effectiveness of SAMSA’s inspection and survey regimes in ensuring compliance by South African commercial fishing vessels.
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Evaluate the effectiveness of national legislation in ensuring South African commercial fishing vessels’ compliance.
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Identify risks related to vessel age, maintenance, crew training, and onboard safety equipment.
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Provide a detailed assessment of the technical and structural integrity of vessels against any relevant regulations, focusing on all South African commercial fishing vessels.
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Identify and mitigate risks associated with stability assessments and stability documents for all South African commercial fishing vessels.
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Evaluate the implementation of emergency preparedness and response measures on board South African commercial fishing vessels.
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Propose a safety improvement plan for all South African commercial fishing vessels to address any identified shortcomings.
The selection will include, but not be limited to: (i) Registered or licensed South African commercial fishing vessels operating in South African waters, with priority given to: a. Fishing vessels that have been involved in major or serious maritime incidents. b. Fishing vessels identified following various safety audits and inspections. c. Riveted vessels and those constructed of wood. d. Fishing vessels built and/or registered/licensed before 1998. e. Vessels owned and/or operated by companies that have lost vessel(s) in a shipping casualty.
Commencement
It is anticipated that the upcoming SAMSA safety audits on South African commercial fishing vessels will commence on 1 March 2025 and will be conducted over a period of four (4) months nationally. SAMSA will endeavor to issue timely notices to owners, companies, and operators to advise which fishing vessels should be made available by the relevant parties for auditing purposes. The cooperation of the fishing fraternity in this regard will be valued.
