A formal hearing begins today into the attempted overloading of inter island ferries.

A number of vessels were stopped last week by the Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji and forced to off load passengers and cargo.

MSAF CEO Neal Slack says they’re clamping down on shipping companies who for sometime have breached their laws.

Slack says their main priority is safety, and harsher penalties will be imposed to deter ship operators from overloading.

No names of shipping companies have been released as Slack says they’re investigating.