| Azlan Othman |
THE Ministry of Communications (MinCom) in cooperation with the Brunei Darussalam Maritime and Ports Authority (PBMP) yesterday continued the campaign of highlighting the importance of using safety jackets during boat rides on the Brunei River.
The event was held at the Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex jetty as a follow-up to the campaign launched on December 23. The MinCom and the PBMP will continue to organise such events in the coming weeks to create more safety awareness among water taxi operators and people using water transport services.
Attending the event were Dr Haji Supry bin Haji Awang Ladi, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MinCom, senior officials of the MinCom, PBMP and the Marine Police.
As part of the campaign, MinCom and PBMP yesterday brought together companies selling life jackets, and Aewon Garment and Embroidery Company was one of them.
This initiative came following discussions during the previous campaign with water taxi operators who had voiced certain grievances over buying safety jackets.
Yesterday, out of the 50 water taxi operators present at the Yayasan Complex jetty, 47 bought safety jackets, while 10 passengers also purchased them.
In a survey held during the first campaign last week, it was found that only 23 out of the 40 water taxi operators at the jetty were wearing safety jackets while no passengers were using them.
According to statistics for 2017, there are 410 registered water taxis operating in the country. Of these, 225 possess Class 9 licence, while 88 registered ferry boats have not yet met the standards set.
The remaining 97 that are only temporarily registered have been given time until the end of December 2017 to register and obtain the Class 9 licence.
PBMP is planning to conduct courses and tests in the vicinity of the Yayasan Complex jetty to facilitate water taxi operators to obtain licence.
The ministry hopes that through this ongoing campaign as well as with assistance from village heads in the area, it can achieve the target to increase the number of water taxi operators and boat passengers who wear safety jackets.
For registered water taxi operators, there are certain standards set for obtaining licence. The size of the boats based on the power of the engine used has also been set.
However, authorities have found that some water taxi operators have replaced the original engines with powerful ones after obtaining the licence. Fines were imposed on such operators.
MinCom reminded water taxi operators and passengers of the importance of using safety jackets, regardless of whether the journey is long or short.
The Safety and Investigation Division of MinCom and the PBMP will regularly monitor water taxis to ensure that the operators comply with all the safety regulations, it added.
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