South Africa records six commercial fishermen deaths in 2021 – six too many, according to SAMSA

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(SAMSA File Photo)

Pretoria: 20 January 2022

South Africa’s commercial fishing subsector suffered six (6) fatalities in 2021, a figure reflecting an increase of two more deaths compared with four (4) recorded in 2020, according to a report by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA).

In the report, (Marine Information Notice [MN 01-22]) released on Wednesday, SAMSA says the deaths of the six (6) fishermen occurred in four different incidents recorded in Paternoster (1), Dassen Island (2), Strandfontein (2) and Struisbaai (1), all in the Western Cape province.

In Paternoster, a fisherman lost his life when a small commercial fishing vessel capsized after hitting a submerged rock. A second crew member survived the incident. In another incident, two fishermen lost their lives after a small commercial fishing vessel hit a submerged object, some two nautical miles West of Dassen Island. The first fisherman was lost overboard while the second crew member suffered a fatal heart attack during the incident.

(SAMSA File photo)

In another case, two fishermen lost their lives after a small commercial fishing vessel washed ashore near Strandfontein. In the incident, one fisherman was found drowned and one other remained missing at sea. Another case involved the drowning of a fisherman after the vessel he was in, near Struisbaai, was swamped and sank.

“The South African Maritime Safety Authority notes the continuous occurrence of fatal incidents involving small commercial fishing vessels, either due to capsizing or exposure to inclement weather. Affected areas and communities will be engaged as a matter of urgency,”said the agency in a statement.

A data table of fatalities of commercial fishermen in South Africa since 1996 showed the Western Cape province region – whose maritime domain straddles three oceans, from the Atlantic Ocean, the Southern Ocean to the Indian Ocean, thereby constituting the country’s fishing mecca – has consistently suffered most fatalities (57% or 225) of the 397 recorded in the period. (1996-2021).

A SAMSA data table on South Africa’s commercial fishing vessels fatalities for the period 1996-2021 as contained in the SAMSA Marine Information Notice 1 of 2022 released in Pretoria on Wednesday (19 January 2022)

In fact, the table indicates that all fatalities recorded in the four years since 2018, totalling 17, involved small commercial vessels. By comparison, the second highest fatalities of commercial fishermen recorded in the period 1996-2021, totalling 137 occurred in the Eastern Cape province, with KwaZulu-Natal accounting for just 19 of the fatalities. The remainder, totalling 17 fatalities, is recorded as having occurred on the high seas, of which the first and last was recorded in 1998.

(SAMSA File Photo)

In a further breakdown, the SAMSA’s report indicates that the highest and consistent number of both vessels incidents at seas as well as resultant fatalities in the period between 2002 and 2021 involved small commercial vessels not exceeding 10 meters in length, with the exception of year 2008 when all fatalities recorded involved a vessel or vessels measuring 10-24m in length.

In terms of types of incidents leading to fatalities, SAMSA listed these as mainly involving vessels capsizing – which seemed to affect mostly vessels measuring less than 10m – fishermen falling overboard, collisions/grounding, and vessels foundered.

“The capsizing of small vessels is primarily due to four reasons: vessels at sea in unsuitable weather conditions, hauling of anchors over the side and not the bow, vessels too close to the shore, and overloading,” said SAMSA, adding that the proper counter-measure was for flotation aids to be worn at all times within the surf zone in order to reduce the number of fatalities.

According to SAMSA, the falling overboard incident category was the second largest contributor to commercial fishermen deaths, with fishermen suffering fatal accidents (getting lost at sea) while shooting or hauling fishing gear; at night when the vessel is steaming or during inclement weather.

These could be prevented, however, if all fishing vessels crews heeded necessary precautionary measures onboard vessels that include:

  • flotation aids being worn at all times on deck where the nature of the work can lead to a crew member being knocked overboard,
    crew members that go on deck while there is no fishing operation never doing so alone, especially at night; and
  • always wearing vessel safety harnesses when working near or at the side of the vessel
  • skippers and officers always taking into consideration the dangers of fatigue due to prolonged fishing operations and skippers and,
  • crew having safety briefings.
(SAMSA File Photo)

As for groundings, according to SAMSA none should occur at all if if the watchkeeping officers and crew adhere to the principles of good seamanship and watchkeeping. The same was true of founderings. “It is vital that skippers continually monitor all methods of receiving weather reports and consider if the fishing trip is safe in the predicted weather conditions. Early consideration should be given to seeking shelter when the predicted weather may endanger the vessel,”said SAMSA.

SAMSA said in addition to reaching out to commercial fishing communities affected by fatalities in 2021, a matter of priority this year, as a matter of standard practice: “SAMSA offers trauma counselling, assistance with securing UIF, COID and insurance and the facilitation of social grants through the Welfare Office (contactable either by phone: 021 421 6170 or via email addressed to Ms Nolundi Dubase ndubase@samsa.org.za).

“In addition, community and workplace seminars are offered, at no cost to the industry, on HIV/AIDS awareness and alcohol/substance abuse. Fishing operators are urged to review their Drug and Alcohol Policies and Procedures,” said SAMSA.

End

Organisations hard at work picking nurdles off the Cape Coast while investigation of source continues: SAMSA

Sudden surfacing of nurdles along the southern Cape coastline still under investigation according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) (SAMSA Photo File)

Pretoria: 17 November 2020

An investigation into how millions of nurdles came to envelope the Cape coast, from south of Port Elizabeth through George and nearby towns is currently still underway, while an effort is made to clean the coastline of the small plastic pellets.

This is according to the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) in a statement in Pretoria on Tuesday. This was a further reaction to reports last month of the discovery of nurdles across the southern Cape coastline – from Fish Hoek in False Bay to Plettenberg Bay and lately, along the Eastern Cape coastline.

(Video courtersy of African News Agency [ANA])

According to SAMSA on Tuesday, the source of the nurdles is still unknown but the agency confirmed that this latest incident is not related to the spillage that occured in KwaZulu-Natal in 2017.

“Authorities are working hard to address the nurdles recently washing up along certain regions of the south Western Cape coastline from Fish Hoek in False Bay to Goukamma Marine Protected Area and Plettenberg Bay.

“The nurdles are also reported to be washing up along the Eastern Cape coastline, the exact locations are still to be confirmed.

“The authorities, including, the Departments of Transport, Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, local authorities, NGOs and volunteer groups have all been working consistently to clean up nurdles washing up on beaches,” said SAMSA

The organisation described nurdles as “… small plastic pellets used in the manufacture of plastic products. In the raw stage (pre-moulded and packaged) they are not toxic to touch, but probably shouldn’t be chewed given the unknown synthetics that make up the pellets.

“However, once released into the marine environment they have a high attraction to harmful substances such as land-based pesticides, herbicides, other organic pollutants as well as heavy metals that end up in the ocean. At this stage they are very harmful to life, especially to wildlife when mistaken for food.”

SAMSA said: “The source of the nurdles is not yet confirmed but an investigation is currently ongoing and being led by the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA). These nurdles are not related to the spillage that took place in Kwazulu-Natal in 2017.

“While the investigation into the source of the nurdles is being undertaken, SpillTech has been appointed to assist and conduct clean-up efforts along the affected sections of coastline. Spilltech will also be storing the nurdles collected through clean-up efforts and are working with authorities, NGOs and volunteer groups to identify collection points and arrange the pick-up of nurdles.

“The extent of the clean-up operation is significant and is anticipated that the removal of nurdles from the affected coastline will continue for some time to come. The authorities and NGOs look forward to working with SpillTech as the lead agent for the duration of cleanup-operations.

“Spilltech can be contacted on 063 404 2128 for information on collection points and pick up of collected nurdles,” said SAMSA

End

Cape maritime high school pupils drive Professor Jansen to ‘tears’!

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Glowing in Glory: South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) Chief Operations Officer, Mr Sobantu Tilayi (Right) and Chief Human Capital Officer, Ms Lesego Mashishi and two other officials posing for a pic with 14 Lawhill Maritime High School pupils supported by the organisation during Wednesday night’s 2017 annual awards ceremony in Simonstown.

Cape Town: 13 October 2017

The eloquence and apparent sheer constant focus of a group of maritime high school children at an awards ceremony held at the quaint Western Cape town of Simonstown last night drove renowned South African academic and author, Professor Jonathan Jansen into tears, literally.

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Professor Jonathan Jansen presenting an award to one of Lawhill High School achievers at an annual awards presentation ceremony at the high school in Simonstown on Thursday evening

And by his own admission, Prof Jansen, a former Vice-Rector of the University of the Free State, committed to sharing publicly the moving experience of his encounter with the group of children on Thursday evening. He’d tell it all in his regular national newspaper column due next Thursday, he said.

Prof Jansen, generally known for his outspokenness on especially educational matters in South Africa, was the guest speaker at a Lawhill Maritime High School annual awards presentation ceremony – an event during which the school’s top performing pupils are rewarded with a range of scholarship awards, some for continuance at the high school, others for near future advanced education at tertiary level, while the rest are for pure personal recognition.

The annual event at the hill side school overlooking the South African Navy naval base at the Simonstown harbour below, also presents the pupils an opportunity to reflect on their school related experiences during a given school year period.

Among these are their oft sojourns out of the classroom into the world of maritime sector transport in South Africa and abroad, courtesy of a range of sponsors and other supporters of the school in its ongoing maritime education endeavors.

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Paying attention: Former Lawhill Maritime High School head, Mr Brian Ingpen (Second Right) flanked by the school’s Principal, Mrs Jean Human (Right) and past student and now a Third Engineer with the Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ms Blondie Jobela (Left).

At Thursday night’s event, true to form, Prof Jansen – clearly highly impressed by the evident sharpness of the group of pupils that made presentations during the function, as well as their high level of achievements in various aspects of their school life as reflected by their range of awards – was both highly grateful for their performance but also scathing towards the country’s general education authorities for what he described as the ‘dumbing down’ of children’s intelligence and consequently, their potential.

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Driving a Professor to Tears: Professor Jonathan Jansen (Front Left), almost in tears while seated with some of the school’s pupils, listening attentively to one of them giving testimony about their enjoyment of their maritime studies and about the appreciated support they get from the school.

Prof Jansen said the country’s education authorities’ attitude was that the country’s school going children were not really expected to achieve much academically hence the lowered levels of pass marks, to as low as 20%, in crucial subjects such as mathematics.

“The biggest problem we have as South Africans is that they mess with your head! They told you can pass with 30%. You know what they did last year, your Government? They said they would condone the entire Grade 8 class last year with a pass mark of 20%”

“Thank goodness that black people can’t blush! I blushed. I was embarrassed. They were not talking about the children at Saxon and Bishopscourt. They were talking about you and me. The expectation of you is so low! You only just have to get up, dress nicely, write your name on a matric certificate and you pass, because the expectation of what you can achieve is so low” said Prof Jansen.

Sadly, he added that the low expectation was also prevalent among tutors at the country’s universities where the dominant approach was an emphasis on what students could not achieve rather than a positive focus on their potential and what was possible for them.

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Part of the crowd of people, among them sponsors or representatives thereof, attending Thursday evening’s Lawhill Maritime School annual awards.

Partly as a result of this condescending and demeaning attitude, some of the country’s best achievers globally, such as Elon Musk, a former Pretoria Boys High pupil and later the founder of American automaker Tesla and aerospace firm, SpaceX; have had to leave South Africa for places in the world where they were better recognized for their potential to achieve.

Prof Jansen said while overseas, he’d had an opportunity to meet a group South Africans who’d gone to make sterling achievements elsewhere, and asked them why they’d left the country.

“They said ‘Professor, here, people expect us to do well. They look at you and they see greatness.

“Young people of maritime I am emotional, because I am so proud of what I saw here tonight.

A highly animated and sometimes tearful Prof Jansen heaped praises upon the Lawhill Maritime High School pupils for their ‘go getting’ attitude, urging them to not only be constantly vigilant in the look out for emerging opportunities but to also grab them with both hands at the first instance.

On national unity and race relations, Prof Jansen also said  ‘old white people’ supporting the awards as well as other financial support to the school and similar institutions, should be welcomed as a benevolent, albeit, necessary gesture that is a crucial contribution by the previously advantaged to nation building, and an investment in the country’s youths.

To listen to Prof Jansen full remarks, Click on the video below.

 

More pictures from the ceremony: