News

Government to increase awareness of marine pollution

May 14, 2018 7:20 pm

The government is expected to ramp up awareness on seaport management and ensure the necessary agents involved enforce the environmental legislation in place.

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum says it has been a reoccurring issue with foreign vessels disrespecting our ports and dumping their waste in our oceans.

The AG was responding to the recent issue in which a foreign fishing vessel was caught red-handed dumping oil pollutants into the Suva Harbour.

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“There’s more heightened awareness and indeed the need to ensure that there is proper monitoring or enhanced monitoring because unlike some of the other Ports in the world where they have actually been implementing these very strict laws for a long period of time, there’s a culture of not doing so. So I think some of these foreign vessels that do come to Fiji may think that Fiji is a small country, they can do whatever they like.”

The vessel owners were served an infringement notice and had to pay a $20,000 fine or have their vessel seized.

The Attorney General highlighted the government took an action to minimise the negative environmental implications on marine resources caused by the deliberate dumping of oil by some foreign fishing vessels.