Maputo, 4 Dec (AIM) – Mozambique’s National Maritime Institute (INAMAR) has announced that it will shortly demand the compulsory installation of an automatic location device on all vessels navigating in Mozambican coastal waters, so that the maritime authorities may identify their position in the event of accidents.
According to the Chairperson of the INAMAR Board of Directors, Isaías Mondlane, cited by the Maputo daily “Notícias”, the device in question, to be installed on all types of vessels, will not only allow boats to be located, but will also issue alerts concerning changes in the weather to all vessels that put out to sea.
The measure is also justified by the growing number of maritime accidents and incidents that have occurred along the Mozambican coast.
For example, in the first half of this year alone, 143 maritime accidents were reported, culminating in over 100 deaths and 27 missing people.
According to Mondlane, the idea is to install simple and accessible devices for all types of vessels, so that their whereabouts at sea can be known in real time.
“We have over 43,000 small vessels that don’t have this system, because only the big ones do. However, we are already working with some companies to supply the device in order to prevent accidents and fatalities at sea”, he said.
Also as a way of preventing tragedies at sea, the institution says it is developing more forceful actions for cases of negligence in observing navigation rules.
(AIM)
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