The ongoing Malta Maritime Authority's Safety at Sea Campaign is enjoying a lot of positive feedback and statistics show that notwithstanding a steady increase in the amount of registered pleasure boats and other vessels, (over 500 new boats were registered within the past year) the amount of reported incidents at sea is always a minimal one. Notwithstanding this positive outcome, the Authority is continuously striving to prevent accidents and is this year collaborating with Sedqa by addressing the organisation's “Don't Drink and Drive” message to all owners of pleasure boats at sea.
The Safety at Sea Campaign has experienced constant growth and success amongst its target audiences namely the swimmers and the boat owners alike. The public has recognised that acting cautiously and responsibly when at sea is the best way to avoid accidents that can be even fatal. This is an extremely important achievement for us and we are now looking forward to yet another successful Safety at Sea Campaign and an accident free summer.
I must also underline that the Safety at Sea Campaign 2006 also has the full support of the Administrative Law Enforcement Section of the Police, the Civil Protection Department, the AFM and the Maritime Institute within MCAST.
It is extremely important for all swimmers' and boat owners to act responsibly when at sea.
The Safety at Sea Campaign stresses the following:
• Boat owners should always make use of adequate VHF radio when out at sea.
• Mobile phones can never replace VHF radios. A mobile phone's battery can run out and with mobile phones, one can only contact one person at a time with no guarantee of getting through whilst with VHF radio, all other boat owners in the vicinity will hear the message and give the fastest assistance.
• Before going out at sea, always inform relatives of your whereabouts so that in case of an accident, rescue operations will have a clue from where to start their operation.
• No speedboat or any other mechanically propelled sea craft will be allowed to proceed at a speed exceeding 10 knots inside any harbour, in any place within 300 metres of the foreshore of any sandy beach and in any place within 200 metres of any other part of the fore shore. These regulations also apply to water skiing.
• It is also strongly recommended that every boat is equipped with the necessary safety and life saving equipment.
• Abusive or dangerous activity should be reported to the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit on emergency number 112 whilst the telephone numbers of the Armed Forces' maritime rescue is 21809279.
People do not realise enough the implications when they act irresponsibly and when they do, it's at their own or others' unfortunate expense. Some cases in point are swimming in commercial harbours and creeks close to intense boating activity, swimming near slipways and the dangerous and irresponsible handling of pleasure craft that endangers swimmers and divers.
This year a new swimmers' zone has also been established at Rinella Bay. Alongside the already delineated swimmers' zones, the Malta Maritime Authority has earmarked a new zone at Rinella Bay in Kalkara thus bringing the total of swimmers' zones in Malta and Gozo to 25.
The earmarking of these swimmers' zones is one of the main initiatives undertaken by the Malta Maritime Authority and involves the delineation of specific areas reserved for swimmers that cannot be accessed by any seacraft. These zones are marked by clearly visible yellow and red coloured buoys deployed at 50 metre intervals. Mechanically propelled sea craft or sailing boats including wind surfers, surf boards and jet-skis are in fact prohibited from navigating in these zones between the 15th June and 30th September 2006.
Censu Galea is Competitiveness and Communications Minister