Harrington urges stakeholders to engage in consultation process on maritime safety strategy

Fine Gael Cork South West TD, Noel Harrington, has today (Thursday) urged all local stakeholders involved in the fisheries and marine sector to engage in the consultation process for a new maritime safety strategy, which has been launched by the Minister for Transport, Leo Varadkar TD.

“The Government is developing the first ever maritime safety strategy for Ireland and we want to hear from the public on how we can make our seas safer for both commercial operators and those involved in recreational and leisure pursuits.

“More than 103 people have died in maritime accidents since 2002, which highlights the need to improve safety standards for all of those who take to our seas, be it for work or pleasure. Minister Varadkar has said he wants to eliminate maritime fatalities through the development of this safety strategy.  

“The new strategy will look to address the main factors contributing to loss of life at sea, which include poor equipment, the lack of a maritime safety culture, non-enforcement of regulations and inadequate crew training.

“Anything that will improve safety is to be welcomed, but we must also ensure that we take a common sense approach to rules and regulations. Changing our attitude to being safe on the seas will also be essential. We must also learn from past tragedies and examine how we can do things better in the future.

“Now is the time for stakeholders to engage in the consultation process and to contribute their ideas to the Department of Transport. The consultation period runs until 29th August 2014, and the new strategy will be published later this year. The strategy will be monitored closely during implementation and reviewed and updated within a five year period.”

ENDS