In an effort to address the high incidence of drowning, the government has announced that all life jackets made locally will be sold duty free by the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji.

While announcing the 2013 national budget yesterday, Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said, Fiji is a maritime nation and needs a better surveillance and search and rescue capability.

“From January next year MSAF will make life jackets available to the public to comply with regulations that require all vessels to have that. We also need to make life jackets more affordable and readily available to address the alarming incidence of drowning in Fiji. Currently life jackets made in Fiji are duty free for the export market. We are changing this so that locally made life jackets will be made available to be purchased duty free in Fiji through the MASAF."

Bainimarama also said the Maritime and Safety Authority of Fiji will be allocated a grant of $6.6 million to bring the country into compliance with all international and national maritime obligations and to ensure the safety of all seafarers.