Lookout! – Issue 15
21 December 2009
Guidance notice – Issue 17:
Long-range identification and tracking (LRIT) equipment testing
21 December 2009
22 December 2008
Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) says public safety on the Kawarau River is not at risk provided all operators follow maritime rules.
MNZ Director Catherine Taylor said a recent review of safety issues on the river found that two jetboat companies could safely operate on the river, provided both followed established river rules and that radio communication protocols were established. The review was carried out by three independent experts endorsed by both the existing operator, Kawarau Jet, and the new operator, Queenstown Water Taxis (operating as Thunderjet) in a process agreed to by all parties. The review was separate to the resource consent process followed by the Queenstown Lakes District Council, in which MNZ had had no input, she said.
Ms Taylor said multiple jet boat operations were running on other New Zealand rivers without any issue, with other operators working together responsibly to ensure safety.
“Maritime rules require that commercial jet boat operators sharing the Kawarau River must be able to communicate with each other to help ensure safety – and there is a publicly available radio channel for them to achieve this. The onus is then on the operators to act responsibly and demonstrate how they intend to comply with the rule.”
The Maritime Transport Act applies to a wide range of water-based activities, including jetboating, recreational boating, and river rafting. The Act sets obligations on all commercial jetboat operators to comply with safety standards and rules. These rules were established through consultation with industry.
Ms Taylor said she was satisfied that Queenstown Water Taxis had demonstrated it met safe operating requirements – and had confirmed that they intended to use the publicly available radio channel to communicate their movements to Kawarau Jet.
“With a public radio channel available to allow both operators to communicate, the onus is now on the existing operator to take into account the movements of the new operator and act responsibly to ensure the safety of passengers.
“This situation is no different to aircraft which are required to maintain contact with each other in the air through shared radio protocols to avoid the risk of collision and ensure public safety. However, if one operator chooses to ignore these safety protocols, they would be acting irresponsibly and potentially putting lives at risk.”
For further information contact:
RCCNZ Media Line
Phone 04 499 7318