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Bougainville eyes new maritime law to boost safety, search and rescue
🇵🇬 Papua New Guinea /Disasters & Emergencies

Bougainville eyes new maritime law to boost safety, search and rescue

From Post-Courier · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Bougainville is developing a new Small Craft Act to clarify maritime safety responsibilities and improve disaster response.
  • The legislation aims to formalize small craft registration, enhance oversight, and create revenue for local communities.
  • Efforts are underway to improve communication and rescue capabilities, including Starlink internet and VHF radio, but a lack of suitable rescue vessels remains a challenge.

The Autonomous Region of Bougainville is poised to enact a new Small Craft Act, aiming to bring clarity to maritime safety and disaster response for small vessels. Belinda Gara Lanbong, Secretary of the Community Government Department, stated the legislation will guide the region's approach to maritime safety, addressing current ambiguities in responsibility for boat owner compliance.

Once we have this legislation in place, it will guide us. Right now, we are not very clear whose role it is to ensure that boat owners comply with certain safety requirements.

— Belinda Gara LanbongSecretary of the Community Government Department, explaining the need for the Small Craft Act.

Currently, small craft registration for Bougainville is handled in East New Britain, creating a local oversight gap. While some services like the Buka Passage water taxi operate under association rules, there's no formal system for vessels on longer, more hazardous routes. The proposed act would link registration to safety compliance and empower local Community Governments to manage the system, potentially generating revenue.

For those who do the highway and go far, we don’t have an entity registering those boats.

— Belinda Gara LanbongHighlighting the current lack of oversight for vessels on longer routes.

Beyond legislation, the Disaster and Emergency Directorate is enhancing communication and response. The directorate is deploying Starlink satellite internet and improving VHF radio networks to ensure timely weather warnings reach all coastal areas by year-end. However, a critical shortage of suitable rescue vessels capable of handling rough seas hinders immediate response to boat mishaps.

It could also be used as a revenue generation stream for every community government. They can ensure compliance with everything before boats are registered and allowed to travel.

— Belinda Gara LanbongDiscussing the potential financial benefits of the new legislation.

The directorate hopes to acquire at least one rescue vessel with K10 million from the supplementary budget. Plans also include a dedicated Search and Rescue Base in Buka, pending further funding. Meanwhile, efforts are underway with mobile providers to establish a toll-free emergency number.

Communication is very important in our line of work. We also send teams to main boat stops, like Kunua and Nissan, to verbally inform operators of severe weather warnings.

— Belinda Gara LanbongEmphasizing the importance of communication in disaster preparedness.
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Originally published by Post-Courier. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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