The UK Government announced the launch of a campaign that aims to improve safety on water, targeting people who drink while onboard. The campaign is part of the first Maritime Safety Action plan, published on July 1, by the Department for Transport.
Specifically, the campaign along with the Action plan aim to reduce and eliminate preventable deaths, while also setting out the work the government and its agencies are already doing.
Maritime Safety is crucial for the UK, as they rely on the maritime industry to deliver 95% of the imports and exports. Thus, the Plan has been developed to explain the significant work that the Department for Transport (DfT), its agencies and partners are doing, both domestically and in international fora, to drive that improvement. Amongst DfT’s partners are also the British Ports Association and the Royal Yachting Association, who aim to boost the campaign.
In light of this initiative, BPA Chief Executive Richard Ballantyne commented
Although many recreational users enjoy boating responsibly, sadly it’s believed that the issue of drinking in the marine environment has contributed to incidents and accidents around our coast.
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Moreover, it identifies the significant challenges that remain and the government’s key priorities and ambitions for maritime safety going forward, while also defines action to be taken to conduct the vision.
Moreover, RYA Director of External Affairs Howard Pridding commented
Our message on this issue is clear- Don’t Mix Alcohol and Boating.
According to the Plan, fishing remains the most dangerous industry in the UK as from 2012 there have been 45 deaths while fishing and 103 since 2006. Also, commercial fishing is five times more hazardous, with an average of 54 fatalities per 100,000 full or part-time workers between 2012 and 2018.
The success of any industry is inextricably linked to the people employed in it. Making sure seafarers are safe and healthy at work is, therefore, a fundamental component of supporting positive outcomes for seafarers and the sector.
In addition, preserving a safer maritime network will provide positive effects on the whole sector, its users and the local community. Meanwhile, the safe marine environment will boost the economic development and opportunity, improve journeys and promote an efficient culture.
Rivers, coastal waters and seas are inherently dangerous places in which to operate a vessel. They are a changing and dynamic environment which demand a high level of skill, attentiveness and adaptability of their users.
The Maritime Minister, Nusrat Ghani, stated
Keeping people safe on or around water is at the heart of everything we do. This plan is rightly ambitious in setting out how we will reduce the number of fatalities on our waterways as quickly as possible.
The campaign will reach not only those who ‘professionally’ participate in the shipping sector, but also those who use boats rarely, reminding them the risks of drinking and sailing.
It is hoped that the first ever Maritime Safety Action Plan will help cut preventable fishing deaths by 2027 and half drowning by 2026.
The plan comes as one of the first actions from Maritime 2050, which was published in January and is the government’s long-term strategy to keep the UK as a world leader in the sector for decades to come.
For more information, you may click on the PDF herebelow
