| UK. Fishermen to get 40 percent refunds on man overboard and vessel reporting life saving system |
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| Thursday, 18 May 2006 | |
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Government news: The UK Government has announced that fishermen will get cash towards the cost of revolutionary life saving equipment. Crews buying the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's man overboard and vessel reporting system will get 40 per cent of the purchase price paid from Government and European funds. The Government hopes the money will encourage skippers to fit the RNLI monitoring system, called Man Overboard Guardian, and improve safety at sea. In 2004 alone, RNLI lifeboats launched 799 times to fishing vessels and rescued 1,230 fishermen. But each year there are still around 20 to 30 deaths in the UK fishing industry. The MOB Guardian will reduce the time it takes rescuers to find casualties because the RNLI will know automatically when and where vessels or individuals go missing. UK Fisheries Minister Ben Bradshaw said: "Fishing is one of the most dangerous industries on earth and the Government is committed to improving the safety of those who work on the sea. I congratulate the RNLI for this excellent piece of kit and its associated service, and have made funding available to fishermen to encourage them to buy it." The money will be administered by the Marine Fisheries Agency (MFA) and the Seafish Industry Authority (Seafish). They have already agreed a simplified funding application process. MFA Chief Executive, Nigel Gooding, said: "Time is vital when a crew member or vessel is lost at sea. Casualties have to contend with a variety of hazards when things go wrong - the weather, low temperatures and the sea itself. The quicker they can be traced, the greater their chance of survival. The RNLI's MOB Guardian will make our seas safer by helping to take the "search" out of search and rescue." John Rutherford, Chief Executive of Seafish said: "This is an excellent initiative to increase safety at sea. At Seafish we are committed to ensuring that those working in UK waters are as safe as possible, and any technology that helps to avoid tragic accidents at sea is actively welcomed." Government already provides substantial aid on measures to improve the safety culture of the fishing industry. It has spent £1.7m in England over the last five years on free safety training courses for fishermen, and is due to spend a further £500,000 over the next two years on similar courses. Around 5,500 fishermen in England have benefited from this free safety training. Fishermen can apply for further financial support towards the MOB Guardian from Sunderland Marine or the RNLI as part of the industry lifesaving partnership. Editors note: MOB Guardian, the RNLI's new vessel monitoring and man overboard system has been developed to monitor fishing vessels at sea but will have applications in the aquaculture and leisure sectors. An onboard unit automatically transmits regular updates of a vessel's position, course and speed via satellite. If updates are missed the RNLI monitoring station automatically tries to regain contact. If the vessel fails to restart sending updates an alert is raised. The system also includes Personal Safety Devices (PSD) that automatically alert emergency services of a man overboard. This alert gives the position of the incident and regular updates relative to the vessel. The PSD can also be activated manually by a panic button. Fitting a base unit and provision of a PSD will cost approximately £1,000 per vessel. The system will be manufactured and supplied by McMurdo Ltd in partnership with the RNLI MFA is providing grant support via the European Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance (FIFG). The Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish) was established by the Government in 1981 and is a Non Departmental Public Body. Seafish works with all sectors of the UK seafood industry - fishermen, processors, wholesalers, importers, exporters, seafood farmers, fish friers, caterers and retailers - to raise standards, improve efficiency and secure a sustainable future. Seafish is funded by a statutory levy on all fish, shellfish and seafood products landed, imported or cultivated in the UK. To obtain a grant-funded unit, fishermen should download a form from the Seafish website (www.seafish.org/RNLI.asp) or contact their local Group Training Association or RNLI office. |
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 18 May 2006 ) |
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