Less boating incidents recorded by MARAD for 2019

─fraudulent seafarers’ certificates on the decline

DPI, Guyana, Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Director-General of the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), Claudette Rogers, said there has been a reduction in the number of boating incidents. It was noted that this is partly as a result of the safety centres established under the regulatory body.

These safety centres are located in Mabaruma, Charity, Bartica and New Amsterdam.

Rogers told DPI during an interview on the One-on-One programme that the safety centres were designed to assist boating operators with easy access in acquiring licenses, an initiative taken to decentralise access to services offered by MARAD.

“We are going to ensure they are compliant by carrying out our normal flag state inspections on these vessels to ensure they are seaworthy,” DG Rogers confirmed.

Flag state inspections are those that occur on vessels that carry the Golden Arrowhead as its national flag.

According to the Director-General, there has also been a reduction in fraudulent Competence for Seafarers certificates. This is attributed to the new card system that was introduced.

The cards were rolled out last May free of cost to seafarers who possessed legitimate documents and first-time applicants. Rogers explained that this move by MARAD falls in line with the government’s commitment to safety on Guyana’s waters, as is stipulated by the International Maritime Organisation and the Laws of Guyana.