No I.D., No Ferry Ticket
By L.K. Hewlett
Editor- SKNVibes.com
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| Mr. Mc Clean Hobson, Director of Maritime Affairs |
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – WITH effect from February 15, 2008, all persons traveling between St. Kitts and Nevis via Ferry will be required to show a picture I.D. in order to purchase a ticket.
According to Mc Clean Hobson, Director of Maritime Affairs, there will be no exceptions to the rule aside from children 12 years and under.
Speaking with SKNVibes.com, Hobson explained that the new requirement stems from the Safety of Life at Sea Convention (SOLAS) and the Small Commercial Vessel Code (SCV) for the Caribbean and was therefore a safety measure in the event of an emergency at sea.
“The owner, Charterer, Managing Director or Master of a passenger vessel (more than twelve passengers) on any type of voyage within the coastal waters of St. Kitts and Nevis shall keep accurate records of all persons who embark on and disembark from the vessel. Such record must reflect the names and gender distinguishing between adults, children and infants. These records shall be left ashore with a Representative of the owner or managing operator of the vessel for use by the Department of Maritime Affairs and the St. Kitts and Nevis Defense Force Coast Guard in the event of an emergency at sea,” Hobson said.
He explained that this requirement would also apply to vessels transporting persons on tour or party excursions. The keeping of traveller records has been a routine for tour companies, he said, but noted although records were usually kept for visitors, none were kept for local passengers. ~~Adz:Right~~
Hobson said his department had previously issued a release stating that passengers travelling by Ferry between the islands would be required to give their names to the respective ticket agents. He said that feedback was strong for the need to provide valid identification as persons were giving false names to the vessel agents.
“The need for proper record-keeping has other benefits beside the safety aspect. This information will also be of benefit to the Security Agencies as they will be better able to track the travel habits of criminals between the two islands.”
Another requirement that will take effect from February 15 is the safety announcement on board the vessels alerting passengers to the location of the exits and also life jackets and vessels.
Hobson insists that these requirements are standard safety procedures meant to protect the travelling public.
When asked whether there had been any resistance from the ferry captains and owners, Hobson said he was disappointed that some were objecting the implementation of the safety requirement.
“In light of the Christina disaster in 1970, I would have thought that the ferry operators would be glad to implement the photo I.D. requirement instead of fighting it. Until this day, no one can say for sure everyone who perished that day…visitors and locals alike,” Hobson lamented.
Additionally, Hobson said, Maritime Officers went out into the ‘field’ on board the ferry between January 7-11 and the captains were notified about the new safety measures and no objections had been raised until recently.
“It would be irresponsible to be transporting people on the sea with no records. The responsibility of recording the information lies with the captains. They already have to call in to Police Control to alert them as to the number of passengers aboard when departing St. Kitts, but this is not enough. We need to know who those persons aboard are. We are taking a proactive approach to this; we have drafted the necessary documents and hopefully it will be enacted into Law very soon.”
To facilitate the process, in the case of Inter-island Ferries, the Department of Maritime Affairs would like to urge the travelling public to co-operate fully with the ticket seller or ticketing agent for each respective Ferry. Proper accountability in the event of an emergency at sea will depend on persons’ truthfulness and accuracy when submitting name(s) to the ticketing agent.
The Department is also encouraging the travelling public to purchase their tickets on time so that the recording process can be done in a timely manner for departure on schedule. Hobson added that they are cognizant of occasional late arrival of some passengers; therefore, Ferry captains should record the information as soon as any such person boards the vessel and communicate the information to the ticket seller or agent.
