Navigare nummer 4 - 2018

NEWS
King crab fishers along the coast of Finnmark:
Take off at the arrival of surveyors
ENGLISH TRANSLATION FROM PAGE 10
The Norwegian Maritime Authority (NMA) is very concerned about the safety of a number of small
vessels involved in the king crab fishery along the coast of Finnmark. Surveyors having inspected the fishing
vessels report that a large percentage of the boats have very low safety standards.
BJARTE AMBLE, NMA
In September, the NMA carried out several
unscheduled inspections in the coastal areas
of Finnmark between North Cape and
Vadsø. In western Finnmark, 18 fishing
vessels were inspected, leading to the
issuance of a total of 180 orders to rectify.
As many as six of these vessels were
detained due to serious deficiencies.
RUMOURS CIRCULATE
Considering that a large amount of vessels
have been permitted to take part in the
profitable king crab fishery, the NMA has
had the opportunity to inspect only a
limited number of them.
This is partly due to large distances
between the fishery ports in Finnmark, and
partly to the fact that the owners of the vessels
stayed out of sight since it was rumoured that
there were surveyors in the area.
CONCERNED: In 2019, the NMA will have
an even stronger focus on conducting unscheduled
inspections in Finnmark, says Head of
Department Alf Tore Sørheim. PHOTO: NMA
In some ports, the surveyors found
nothing but abandoned vessels. On the
vessels at berth in one of the ports, the
conditions were particularly bad. The
surveyors quickly concluded that if they had
been allowed on board to conduct inspections,
nearly all the vessels would have been
detained.
POST-INSPECTION
In order to take part in the king crab fishery
of a so-called open coast group, the vessel
must be registered in eastern Finnmark and
be suitable, manned and equipped for such
fishery. The owner of the vessel must have
been registered in the Fishery Census of
eastern Finnmark for the last 12 months,
and the owner in person must be captain
during the fishery.
Vessels are not subject to inspection by
the NMA until the Directorate of Fisheries
has granted them permission to
fish. Inspection reports show that several
vessels which have received many orders
to rectify and have been detained have
previously been subject to approval by an
approved company. Approved companies
are private companies which have been
issued an official permit by the NMA to
conduct supervision of fishing vessels of
less than 15 metres. These companies
include shipyards, consulting firms or
other companies that have been granted
such a permit.
INTENSIFIED SUPERVISION
Jan Ove Solstrand, Head of Section at the
NMA’s regional office at Svolvær, is also
responsible for the surveyors employed by
the NMA’s local offices in Harstad, Tromsø
and Hammerfest.
OUTBOARD: Reliable sources informed the
surveyors that this outboard motor was used by
king crab fishers. Their vessel had lost its propeller,
and the outboard was used as a quick fix.
“Based on our findings, many small
vessels in western Finnmark are in very
poor condition. This will be a priority for us
in the time to come, and we will, among
other things, intensify supervision,” says Jan
Solstrand.
Alf Tore Sørheim, who is Head of
Department of Inspection, is very anxious
about the results of the campaign.
“In 2019, the NMA will have an even
stronger focus on conducting unscheduled
inspections in these areas. We also need to
reconsider the way we conduct such
campaigns. The purpose of our inspections
is to give priority to the vessels with the
highest safety risk,” says Head of Department
Alf Tore Sørheim.
Navigare 4- 2018 | 61