Passenger boats: Vacant posts blamed for delay in issuing fitness certificates
Mercantile marine dept has not issued annual licences to Keamari boat operators for over five years.
Boat operators say they need licences as security agencies harass them for not having complete documents. PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
For years now, the passenger boats transporting residents of Baba and Bhit Islands to Keamari and back have not been issued annual fitness licences by the mercantile marine department (MMD) of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping.
The general secretary of the passenger motor launch owners' welfare association, Ali Muhammad, told The Express Tribune that lack of certifications by the MMD create problems when patrolling agencies like the Maritime Security Agency and Pakistan Coast Guards demand documents from them while they are transporting passengers.
He said despite several protests by boat owners, no one is interested in issuing them the required lifesaving appliances (LSA) and firefighting appliances (FFA) licences to them.
Explaining the procedure, Muhammad said MMD's principal surveyor has to inspect the passenger boats under supervision of a principal officer on a yearly basis and issue fitness licences after the boat owner has applied for it. However, despite the high number of applications submitted by owners; no official is visiting them to issue a licence.
Muhammad said passenger boats take thousands of passengers from Keamari to picnic spots in Manora, especially on the weekends, and also cater to around 17,000 residents of Baba and 14,000 of Bhit islands daily who go to Keamari and back every day.
MMD principal officer Captain Muhammad Aslam Shaheen explained that they have been unable to provide licences as the posts of principal officer and surveyors were lying vacant from June 2011 to February 2016. As the vacancies have been filled now, they will start the process of issuing licences now, he claimed.
Administration officer at MMD, Aftab Ahmed, said three categories of boats are registered with them. He explained that 1,000 to 1,200 boats are registered in the 'M' category which covers passenger and pleasure boats whereas in the 'A' category, 800 to 900 cargo vessels (steel dumb barges) are registered. According to Ahmed, boats from both categories require an annual fitness survey.
The president of the boat owners' association, Faizan Ali Mangwani, said they are eagerly awaiting their LSA and FFA licences so they can cater to passengers without being harassed by the law enforcing agencies.
Mangwani said the unavailability of licences has led to reluctance on part of some passenger boat owners to operate their boats, which has resulted in small fishing boats made of fiber and registered in the 'B' category intruding into the business of carrying passengers. "This poses a great risk to passengers and the boat itself," he said. According to him, these small boats have no safety measures and frequently overload passengers.
Muhammad added that for LSA and FFA licences, the engine of the boat needs to be sound, and be installed with a navigator, green and red lights, horn, fire extinguisher, six lifesaving jackets and two ring buoys attached to the boat for the protection of passengers and general safety, according to the government rules. He said the small fishing boats lack these safety measures and run the risk of capsizing at any time due to overloading of passengers.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2016.
For years now, the passenger boats transporting residents of Baba and Bhit Islands to Keamari and back have not been issued annual fitness licences by the mercantile marine department (MMD) of the Ministry of Ports and Shipping.
The general secretary of the passenger motor launch owners' welfare association, Ali Muhammad, told The Express Tribune that lack of certifications by the MMD create problems when patrolling agencies like the Maritime Security Agency and Pakistan Coast Guards demand documents from them while they are transporting passengers.
He said despite several protests by boat owners, no one is interested in issuing them the required lifesaving appliances (LSA) and firefighting appliances (FFA) licences to them.
Explaining the procedure, Muhammad said MMD's principal surveyor has to inspect the passenger boats under supervision of a principal officer on a yearly basis and issue fitness licences after the boat owner has applied for it. However, despite the high number of applications submitted by owners; no official is visiting them to issue a licence.
Muhammad said passenger boats take thousands of passengers from Keamari to picnic spots in Manora, especially on the weekends, and also cater to around 17,000 residents of Baba and 14,000 of Bhit islands daily who go to Keamari and back every day.
MMD principal officer Captain Muhammad Aslam Shaheen explained that they have been unable to provide licences as the posts of principal officer and surveyors were lying vacant from June 2011 to February 2016. As the vacancies have been filled now, they will start the process of issuing licences now, he claimed.
Administration officer at MMD, Aftab Ahmed, said three categories of boats are registered with them. He explained that 1,000 to 1,200 boats are registered in the 'M' category which covers passenger and pleasure boats whereas in the 'A' category, 800 to 900 cargo vessels (steel dumb barges) are registered. According to Ahmed, boats from both categories require an annual fitness survey.
The president of the boat owners' association, Faizan Ali Mangwani, said they are eagerly awaiting their LSA and FFA licences so they can cater to passengers without being harassed by the law enforcing agencies.
Mangwani said the unavailability of licences has led to reluctance on part of some passenger boat owners to operate their boats, which has resulted in small fishing boats made of fiber and registered in the 'B' category intruding into the business of carrying passengers. "This poses a great risk to passengers and the boat itself," he said. According to him, these small boats have no safety measures and frequently overload passengers.
Muhammad added that for LSA and FFA licences, the engine of the boat needs to be sound, and be installed with a navigator, green and red lights, horn, fire extinguisher, six lifesaving jackets and two ring buoys attached to the boat for the protection of passengers and general safety, according to the government rules. He said the small fishing boats lack these safety measures and run the risk of capsizing at any time due to overloading of passengers.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 2nd, 2016.