The Maritime Safety Authority of Fiji will be working closely with the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs for an official agreement to assist with MSAF enforcement law on maritime islands.

This has been highlighted by MSAF CEO Joeli Cawaki in expanding its scope of work by involving the village headman, mata ni tikina, and advisory council to have them gazette as MSAF enforcement officers in their village and respective islands.

He says that it will allow the daily surveys and monitoring of fibreglass boats or any vessels that carry passengers or students that meet the safety standards and requirements of MSAF.

“So they will monitor all the vessels and boats in one village. For example, if there are five boats, then all those five need to be registered and surveyed, and all safety rescue kits are available, and boat masters need to be trained, so we will work with the Ministry of iTaukei on that.”

This is one of the major projects that MSAF is working towards to strengthen its role in outer islands and villages, which could be expected this year.