COSATU calls for safety overhaul of fishing industry

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has called for the conditions within which fishermen work to be assessed and addressed. This is after a fire aboard a boat off Gansbaai on Sunday.

While all those on board managed to evacuate safely, COSATU expressed concern about the increasing dangers facing workers in the fishing industry.

The fire aboard the MVF Armana comes just months after the sinking of the MVF Lepanto near Hout Bay in May, which claimed the lives of 11 fishermen. Both vessels are said to be part of the Sea Harvest fleet, raising alarm about safety practices within the company.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) has confirmed that the fishermen from the burning vessel had safely arrived in Cape Town earlier this week. It called off the search for the vessel, which the authority lost sight of after the fire.

Following the fire, Transport Minister, Barbara Creecy, ordered the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) to conduct urgent inspections of all commercial fishing vessels.

SAMSA confirmed that it is investigating the cause of the fire, will look into conducting inspections.

“SAMSA acknowledges and has taken note of the Minister of Transport, Ms Barbara Creecy’s directive to SAMSA on Sunday to implement a program to develop a more comprehensive fishing vessel safety improvement plan and is committed to work with all fishing industry stakeholders to ensure that we achieve this end goal.”

COSATU’s national spokesperson, Zanele Sabela, welcomed the move but criticised the government’s delayed response to these incidents and overall dangers in the industry.

“[COSATU] is disappointed [that] it took a vessel catching fire for the Department of Transport to act even though this has been a burning issue for years. This is a ticking time bomb, COSATU wonders why the ministers did not act sooner, it is sheer luck no one got hurt on Sunday. The questions remain, how did the vessel catch fire? Why did the Lepanto sink? ”

Sabela further criticised SAMSA, accusing it of not playing an active role in the industry.

“From where we sit the authority has not fulfilled its role in protecting workers’ lives.”

The union is now also pushing for the national departments of Employment and Labour as well as Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment to join the investigation into the industry’s safety standards.

COSATU plans to meet with these departments on Friday. It is demanding that all Sea Harvest vessels older than 50 years undergo an urgent inspection and that the departments hold SAMSA and Sea Harvest to account.

“SAMSA is charged with giving the stamp of approval that a vessel is fit to go out to sea. Given one Sea Harvest vessel sank and the other caught on fire five months apart, COSATU demands to know who keeps clearing these vessels to go out to sea.”

COSATU remains determined to hold industry stakeholders and regulators accountable for the loss of life and failure to enforce safety regulations.