XN000022-1995-11-02 — Page 9

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"Levels of safety are a function of the standards set by the department based on international convention requirements, and staff must meet those standards.

"An academic qualification alone is not the way to ensure this is achieved. Experience and in-house training are as important if not more so.

"I am sorry that a small number of my professional staff seem to be taking a narrow and parochial view of both the department's future development, and the needs of the community. But I am encouraged that the vast majority of my professional officers agree with the initiative."

End/Thursday, November 2, 1995

Signalling of distress call to be standardised

The Government is introducing the Merchant Shipping Safety (Signals of Distress and Prevention of Collisions) (Amendment) Regulation 1995 to implement the amendments stipulated in the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972.

These amendments, of technical nature, will come into effect on November 4. They include:

(a) standardising the signals to be displayed by:

(i) vessels engaged in trawling, regardless of their length;

(ii) vessels engaged in fishing, other than trawling, regardless of their

length;

(iii) vessels engaged in fishing in close proximity to each other, by making it compulsory, rather than optional, for such vessels to display certain additional signals; and

(iv) larger vessels engaged in trawling and pair trawling, by making it compulsory, rather than optional, for such vessels to display certain signals relating to their operation.