NEW SHIPPING BILL IN DRAFTING PROCESS
Ships birthing at the Point Cruz jetties. Photo credit: SPC.
The Solomon Islands Maritime Safety Administration (SIMSA) is in the process of drafting a new National Shipping Bill.
SIMSA Director, Captain Tim Harris confirms to SIBC News.
Mr Harris says, the new Shipping Bill and its regulation will be in conformity with each other.
He says the new Bill focuses on pollution.
“The 1998 Act said very little about pollution, but the new bill that’s been currently drafted covers all of those international conventions to which the Solomon Islands has acceded concerned with pollution and things associated with pollution, for example vessels that come to the Solomon Islands, they are painted on the bottom with stuff called anti-fouling.”
Mr. Harris says under the upgraded international law, vessels are not allowed to be painted on the bottom with anti-fouling and SIMSA is considering this in the new bill.
“So this is an area, for example, which we need to put through into our Act so that if we do find a vessel that comes here which is not painted with the proper paint, that we can prosecute it and take it to court, so these are the sort of things that are happening, but it’s a very long term process. It’s not something that will be solved overnight but slowly SIMSA is implementing the laws as they have been passed through the Parliament.”