After Fatal Accidents, South Africa Begins Safety Audits on Fishing Fleet
South Africa Begins Safety Audits on its Commercial Fishing Fleet
South Africa has launched nationwide safety inspections on all its commercial fishing vessels. Last week, the South African Maritime Safety Authority (SAMSA) said that the audits are in response to a series of recent fatal fishing incidents. This saw eighteen fishermen lose their lives last year, leading to calls for higher safety standards in the fishing sector.
The safety inspections began last week at Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) and will be conducted in the next four months, covering all other major fishing ports across South Africa. Specifically, the audit will focus on fishing vessels that have been involved in major maritime incidents. Other targeted fishing vessels include those built or registered before 1998.
“The audits play a vital role in shaping a robust fishing vessel safety improvement plan, aimed at preventing future maritime incidents,” said SAMSA Acting CEO Mbalenhle Golding.
SAMSA earlier reported that its rescue team had to deal with significantly higher numbers of maritime accidents in 2024 compared with previous years. Top on the list of incidents involved commercial fishing vessels. The most tragic was the sinking of the 63-year-old FV Lepanto back in May, resulting in the deaths of 11 crewmembers. The vessel capsized around 34 nautical miles off the coast of Kommetjie town, near Cape Town.
Incidentally, five months later, the sister vessel of FV Lepanto, the 62-year old FV Armana, caught fire and sank off Cape Town. All the 20 crew members evacuated successfully. While the age of the South African commercial fishing fleet has been brought to question, there are apparent violations to safety and operational procedures, according to a preliminary report on the sinking of FV Lepanto. The report released in December by SAMSA revealed the troubling state of maritime safety in South Africa.
In the case of Lepanto, investigators found glaring gaps in crew training on basic life-saving equipment. Survivors also confirmed that the accommodation doors on the port and starboard side were left open at the time of incident. These watertight doors are required to be closed at all times while the vessel is at sea.
Other issues include modifications to the vessel without complying with stability calculations. For instance, wood decking had been replaced with concrete decking, which may not have been approved.