[Photo: FILE]

Ship health checks are under scrutiny as concerns grow over hygiene standards onboard vessels.

MPs are questioning why MSAF relies on the Health Ministry before approving ship licences.

Opposition MP Praveen Kumar raised the concern before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Affairs, saying public health appeared to be missing from MSAF’s mandate despite the authority’s role in registering ships and approving licences.

Kumar said complaints about hygiene and health conditions on vessels continue to be raised and questioned whether the current system creates an accountability gap.

He said MSAF cannot be solely responsible for issuing licences while relying on another agency to assess critical health requirements.

Kumar questioned why the Authority does not have its own health inspectors who can regularly monitor sanitation standards onboard vessels.

He said licensing should come with clear health conditions and stronger checks to ensure ships meet required public health standards.

MSAF Legal Team Member Tui Kilakila told the committee that sanitation and hygiene are already considered during the authority’s ship survey and inspection process.

He said MSAF does not clear a vessel unless it receives the re required certification from Ministry of Health officials confirming sanitation, hygiene and fumigation standards have been met.

“We do support checks, but because the expertise observation is with the Ministry of Health, we are more on what we can see, what we can observe on the ships, but for actual testing expert observations, we rely more on the Ministry of Health, and we do encourage those support checks. And through our submission, we also address those elements.”

Assistant Minister for Sports Aliki Bia questioned whether hygiene inspections are carried out regularly or only after complaints are received.

Bia suggested MSAF establish its own health inspection capacity, similar to municipal councils that employ health inspectors, to ensure faster and more consistent monitoring.

Kumar supported the proposal, saying having dedicated health personnel within MSAF would strengthen oversight and address concerns raised by the public.

Tui Kilakila said MSAF would consider the recommendation but maintained that cooperation with the Ministry of Health remains necessary.

He said the Authority was instead looking at strengthening existing systems through tighter compliance measures, improved verification processes and closer coordination with health officials.

This was discussed during submissions on the Public Health Amendment Bill (Bill No. 4, 2026).