CAPE TOWN, 8 MAY 2001
CHAIRPERSON, DISTINGUISHED SPEAKERS AND DELEGATES FROM ABROAD,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
IT IS MY PLEASURE TO WELCOME YOU TO THIS CONFERENCE AND TO CAPE OF GOOD HOPE, THE FAIREST CAPE ON ONE OF THE BUSIEST SHIPPING ROUTES OF THE WORLD. I HOPE YOU WILL ENJOY YOUR STAY WITH US.
SAFETY IS A VERY SERIOUS CONCERN OF MINE. RECENT DEVELOPMENTS IN THE IMPROVEMENT OF MARITIME SAFETY INCLUDE THE INTRODUCTION OF A DIFFERENTIAL GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (DGPS), WHICH OPERATES FROM 4 GROUND BASED REFERENCE STATIONS AT CAPE COLUMBINE, CAPE AGULHAS, CAPE RECIFE AND COOPERS LIGHTHOUSE, DURBAN. IT REPLACES THE DEFUNCT DECCA NAVIGATION AND MARINE RADIO BEACON SYSTEMS. IT ALSO PROVIDES A HIGH NEW ACCURACY NAVIGATION AND POSITIONING SERVICE TO SHIPS SAILING AROUND THE SOUTH AFRICAN COASTLINE THAT ARE WITHIN A 100 NAUTICAL MILE RANGE OF A REFERENCE STATION.
SOUTH AFRICA HAS ALSO CONTRIBUTED TO SEARCH AND RESCUE IN THE SOUTHERN OCEANS WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN OPERATIONAL COSPAS/ SARSAT, SATELLITE LINKED LOCAL USER TERMINAL (LUT) AND MISSION CONTROL CENTRE IN CAPE TOWN, WHICH IS OPERATED BY TELKOM. OUR REGIONAL MARITIME SEARCH AND RESCUE CAPABILITY IS BEING IMPROVED. A SADC WORKING GROUP ON REGIONAL CO-ORDINATION OF SEARCH AND RESCUE HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED AND THE FIRST MEETING WAS HELD IN MAPUTO IN FEBRUARY. SEARCH AND RESCUE AGREEMENTS HAVE ALREADY BEEN CONCLUDED WITH ARGENTINA, MOZAMBIQUE, AUSTRALIA AND FRANCE (REUNION ISLAND), WHILE NEGOTIATIONS ARE UNDERWAY WITH MADAGASCAR, MAURITIUS, BRAZIL, BOTSWANA, ZIMBABWE, ANGOLA, USA AND SWAZILAND.
SOUTH AFRICA CONTINUES TO MAKE PROGRESS IN THE MAINTENANCE OF SAFETY STANDARDS ON FOREIGN VESSELS. OVER THE PAST YEAR, 777 SHIPS CALLING AT SOUTH AFRICA’S SEVEN MAJOR PORTS WERE INSPECTED. VESSELS NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH INTERNATIONAL SAFETY STANDARDS WERE DETAINED UNTIL THE DEFICIENCIES WERE CORRECTED. THE INDIAN OCEAN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON PORT STATE CONTROL, WHICH IS CHAIRED BY SOUTH AFRICA, IS PLAYING A VITAL ROLE IN THE ERADICATION OF SUBSTANDARD SHIPS FROM THE WATERS OF OUR REGION. THE EFFICIENCY OF THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WILL BE IMPROVED FURTHER ONCE A DATABASE AND INFORMATION OFFICE ON SHIP INFORMATION IS ESTABLISHED.
BUT, DESPITE THESE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS, I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED ABOUT THE HIGH LOSS OF LIFE FROM OUR FISHING VESSELS AND THE HARDSHIP SUFFERED BY THE FAMILIES OF OUR FISHER-FOLK. IN MARCH THE SOUTH AFRICAN MARITIME SAFETY AUTHORITY (SAMSA) HOSTED A SUCCESSFUL SEMINAR ON FISHING VESSEL SAFETY HELD WITH THE INDUSTRY IN CAPE TOWN. SUGGESTIONS FROM THE CONFERENCE ARE BEING TAKEN FORWARD URGENTLY. SAMSA HAS IMPLEMENTED A FORMAL AD HOC FISHING VESSEL SAFETY INSPECTION PROGRAMME; IMPORTANT SAFETY CONVENTIONS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION (ILO) AND INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATIONS (IMO) ARE BEING INCORPORATED INTO OUR LAW FOR MY APPROVAL; A POST CONFERENCE WORKING GROUP IS BEING APPROVED BY ME; AND AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, WHICH HAS BEEN APPROVED BY SADC AND SUPPORTED BY THE UNITED NATIONS, IS TO BE HELD AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WITH REGARD TO THE SINKING OF THE BULK CARRIER THE ‘TREASURE’ IN TABLE BAY, AN INTERNATIONAL PANEL IS BEING ESTABLISHED BY SAMSA TO REVIEW AND TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS TO ME IN ORDER PREVENT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE RECURRENCE OF SUCH INCIDENTS. SAFETY IS ALSO CONCERNED WITH THE HIV/AIDS PANDEMIC. SO I HAVE TAKEN THE INITIATIVE TO CONVENE A TRIPARTITE MEETING TO ADDRESS HIV/AIDS IN ALL THE TRANSPORTATION MODES. THE SUPPORT OF THE ILO IN THIS ENDEAVOUR IS MUCH APPRECIATED.
INVESTMENT IN, AND GROWTH OF, THE MARITIME INDUSTRY TOGETHER WITH THE CREATION OF JOBS IS ALSO BEING PURSUED. OVER THE PAST YEAR THE INTRODUCTION OF A DIESEL FUEL REBATE FOR THE LOCAL SHIPPING INDUSTRY ENGAGED ON LOCAL TRADES, WHICH WAS FACILITATED BY SAMSA, HAS MEANT THAT LOCAL COASTING VESSELS ARE ABLE TO OPERATE COST EFFECTIVELY. THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHIP REGISTER IS INTENDED TO GAIN INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION AS AN ATTRACTIVE REGISTER FOR FOREIGN SHIPPING AND NOT ONE OF CONVENIENCE FOR SUBSTANDARD SHIPS. THE NEW SHIP REGISTRATION ACT 1998, WHICH DEPARTS FROM THE RESTRICTIVE PROVISIONS OF THE MERCHANT SHIPPING ACT 1951, INTRODUCES A MORE OPEN AND FLEXIBLE SHIP REGISTRATION REGIME. THE NEW ACT IS ONLY ONE OF THE FIRST OF A PROPOSED PACKAGE OF NEW MEASURES DESIGNED TO STIMULATE GROWTH OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN SHIPS REGISTER, WHILE MORE FAVOURABLE FISCAL MEASURES ARE, IN PARTICULAR, UNDER CONSIDERATION.
THE TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT AND EMPOWERMENT OF OUR PREVIOUSLY DISADVANTAGED PEOPLE ARE VERY SERIOUS CONCERNS OF MINE. WITHOUT TRAINING, EMPLOYMENT AND EMPOWERMENT THERE CAN BE NO EQUITY OR GROWTH IN THE MARITIME INDUSTRY. SAMSA IS UNDERTAKING INCREASINGLY ACTIVE PRACTICES IN THIS RESPECT. AND IT WILL SOON RECOMMEND WIDE RANGING TRAINING AND EQUITY PROPOSALS FOR MY APPROVAL. SOUTH AFRICA IS A PARTY TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON STANDARDS OF TRAINING CERTIFICATION AND WATCH-KEEPING, WHICH ENSURES THE MAINTENANCE OF INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTABLE STANDARDS OF TRAINING. I AM PLEASED TO SAY THAT WE HAVE ACHIEVED ADMISSION TO THE IMO’S SO-CALLED “WHITE LIST” OF 72 COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BEEN JUDGED TO GIVE FULL AND COMPLETE EFFECT TO THE CONVENTION. OUR SEAFARERS ARE THUS ABLE TO SEEK EMPLOYMENT WITHIN THE GLOBAL MARKET ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH THE BEST MARITIME NATIONS OF THE WORLD. AND, SOUTH AFRICA CONTINUES, IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE IMO, TO ASSIST AS MUCH AS WE CAN IN THE TRAINING OF PEOPLE FROM AFRICA. BUT MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO BRING SOUTH AFRICA’S MARITIME HERITAGE TO THE BENEFIT OF OUR OWN PEOPLE. MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CAPACITATE AND EMPOWER OUR PEOPLE TO PARTICIPATE IN AND DEVELOP FURTHER OUR MARITIME INDUSTRY.
MY DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN DEVELOPING A NATIONAL PORTS POLICY FOR SOUTH AFRICA, TO BE CIRCULATED NATIONALLY FOR COMMENT AS WELL AS FOR INPUT FROM REGIONAL MARITIME AFRICAN STATES. IN ADDITION, A NEW MARITIME POLICY TO UPDATE THE WHITE PAPER ON NATIONAL TRANSPORT AND TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE “MOVING SOUTH AFRICA” PROJECT IS BEING PREPARED. IT WILL ALSO BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR COMMENT. THIS WILL BE AN OVERARCHING MARITIME POLICY. ALL THESE POLICES ARE AIMED TO DEVELOP NOT ONLY SOUTH AFRICA BUT ALSO TO SUPPORT THE SADC REGION AND AFRICA. NOR WILL WE FAIL TO FULFIL OUR INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING COMMUNITY.
BORDERED BY TWO OCEANS, SITUATED ON A MAJOR TRADING ROUTE, WITH 95% OF HER IMPORTS AND EXPORTS BEING SEA-BORNE, WITH VAST MARINE RESERVES AND A SIGNIFICANT FISHING INDUSTRY, SOUTH AFRICA HAS A GREAT MARITIME POTENTIAL BOTH REGIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. THIS IS TRULY THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
I EXPECT THAT THIS CONFERENCE WILL HELP TO REALISE SOME OF THAT POTENTIAL. IT IS, THEREFORE, MY PLEASURE TO DECLARE THIS CONFERENCE OPEN.