International Fund for Fishing Safety Supports Training In South Africa & Namibia
The International Fund for Fishing Safety, (IFFS) has awarded the first grant to train and support fishing vessel safety auditors for deployment in South Africa and Namibia.
The project is run by the Sea Safety Bee Trust (SSBT) on behalf of the Cape Town-based Sea Safety Training Group (SSTG). Established in 2013, the SSTG has a decade of experience in providing Safety Management Systems (SMS) for fishing vessels in the region.
SSBT recognise the lack of a formalised mandatory risk and safety auditing system for fishing vessels in South Africa and Namibia and this project will develop a self-regulatory programme that adheres to international standards. This is crucial to support fishers and fishing enterprises in understanding and complying with existing and evolving legal obligations. This investment aims to foster a culture based on safety and bolster audit capacity within the African continent's fishing industry.
Adopting a Safety Management System has been a game changer in protecting workers from injury and saving lives in high-risk industries. By adopting an auditable Fishing Safety Management System, supported by The Nautical Institute ISM Lead Auditor’s course, operators can document all their safety and welfare activity and ensure compliance with regulations.
The funding enables training of eight lead auditors for the qualification in ISM/FSM through the Nautical Institute in South Africa. As well as operating at an internationally recognised standard, the insights gained from the qualification will also strengthen SSBT’s auditing capabilities and enable them to deliver a higher standard of support to maintain and enhance compliance across the fishing fleet in both South Africa and Namibia and potentially other countries in the region.
The funding will be used to:
- To train up to eight beneficiaries to become lead FSM auditors
- To give each of the newly qualified lead auditors practical experience and the opportunity to participate in audit sessions after completing the training.
The IFFS is a truly international fund which was set up by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, The Seafarers’ Charity and FISH Platform with the aim of making practical improvements in fishing safety and in particular in the global south including Africa, Asia and Latin America. Many of these countries have extensive coastlines with access to rich marine resources and rely on fishing as a crucial economic activity but workers are often at risk in some of the most hazardous and unregulated environments.
The FISH Platform is the world-leading group of experts involved in safety and health in the fishing industry, with participants from around the world with the objective of reducing the number of deaths in fishing globally which is estimated to be anywhere between 32,000 and 100,000 fatalities per year. As a key partner in the Fund they believe it can significantly improve fishers’ lives across the developing world with on-the-ground projects run by the fishing communities and experts in their countries where they understand best how to tackle improvements in safety. FISH Platform is already considering new applications to the Fund from across the globe from the Caribbean to Vietnam, from South Africa to Bangladesh. To be eligible for an IFFS grant, projects must benefit commercial fishers, focus on safety and health, operate on a not for profit basis and comply with or work towards international standards including ILO C-188 and IMO STCW-F and/or The Cape Town Agreement.
'Thanks to a significant grant provided by Lloyd’s Register Foundation, I believe it will be possible to contribute impactfully to improving the health and safety of fishermen around the world, as demonstrated in this project with SSBT in South Africa. This is a unique opportunity to support a valuable project, when so often good initiatives are hampered by financial constraints.
What makes IFFS so strong is that each partner in the fund; Lloyd’s Register Foundation, The Seafarers’ Charity and FISH Platform bring their own capabilities which together, form a very strong Fund. The expertise of the FISH Platform enables us to advise applicants and assess projects for the right approach and feasibility. We are pleased to be part of this opportunity' - Cor Blonk, Chair of the FISH Platform.
The IFFS is keen to hear about your project and if you are interested in applying contact Alan McCulla the Fund Coordinator on Alan.McCulla@theseafarerscharity.org or www.fishplatform.org.
