| James Kon |
THE Ministry of Communications (MinCom) and Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam, as the enforcement agency tasked with ensuring safety in the country’s water transportation system, have reiterated to the public to make use of lifejackets when using water taxis around Kampong Ayer.
Following the recent ‘Importance of Wearing Lifejackets’ campaign, there has been a noticeable increase in water taxi operators utilising lifejackets. A large number of passengers are still, however, not using lifejackets.
Indera Mohd Noh, a water taxi operator, giving his views on this issue, said, “My boat is equipped with lifejackets for passengers. However many refuse to use them.”
When asked about the reasons for the passengers not using lifejackets, he replied, “Some have said that the weather is too hot and (the lifejackets are) too dirty. Others have said that it’s a short distance (to their destination) so it’s alright not to wear them.”
Asbol bin Haji Sijin, another water taxi operator, lamented on the issue of insurance coverage for water taxis.
“We are forced to purchase insurance to obtain our licence but the insurance does not provide any coverage for us. The annual insurance payment is not cheap,” he said in a separate interview.
MinCom together with the Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam continued the campaign yesterday morning to raise awareness on the importance of lifejackets at the Brunei River jetty. This was the third time that the campaign was held.
Joining yesterday’s campaign were Dr Haji Supry bin Haji Awang Ladi, Acting Deputy Permanent Secretary at the MinCom; Haji Yusoff bin Haji Metusin, Head of Enforcement under the Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam; and other officers.
Aewon Brunei Managing Director Lau Chai Seng and Justine Hong Ping Khiong, Sales Manager at Aewon-Sherwood Protective Apparel (B) Sdn Bhd, were also present.
A number of companies were invited by MinCom and the Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam to set up stalls selling lifejackets and water safety equipment at the Yayasan passenger jetty from January 3 – 7, 7am to 6pm, as part of the campaign.
The Maritime and Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam has set up a counter to encourage water taxi operators to register their service and obtain the proper licences.
Each water taxi operator is required to possess a Class 9 licence and the boat is registered only after a stringent inspection of the highest safety standards.
During the second water safety campaign on December 28, 2017, it was found out that of the 50 water taxi operators under observation, 47 or 94 per cent were wearing lifejackets, but only 10 per cent of passengers did so.
This is an increase from the first campaign where it was found that only 23 out of the 40 water taxi operators under observation at the jetty were wearing lifejackets, and no passengers were using them.
In a further monitoring of the issue outside of the campaign period, it was found that 32 boat operators were using lifejackets out of 36 boats. The number of passengers using lifejackets in this study has been found to be worryingly low.
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