Thursday, 24th July 2008 - 14:20CET
UPDATED: Inquiry into the loss of the Simshar
(Adds ministry's reaction to MLP statement)
The Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Communication Austin Gatt, has appointed Dr Anne Fenech as the inquiring officer to carry out a preliminary investigation into the loss of the Simshar, it was announced today. Dr Fenech will also make recommendations in terms of the Merchant Shipping Act.
The tragedy is also the subject of a Magisterial inquiry.
Earlier today, Labour fisheries spokesman Joe Sammut said that while the Simshar tragedy should not be politicised, it should also be ensured that no one shirked his responsibilities.
Dr Sammut in a statement said this was not the case of an authority or a government entity becoming a sacrificial lamb, but there were clearly shortcomings which the authorities should have prevented.
He said the AFM lacked sufficient resources to conduct the search operation, and there were serious questions about the role of the Fisheries Department in overseeing the Vessel Monitoring System. Should it result that the government had been miserly, it should assume responsibility, Dr Sammut said.
Furthermore, if it resulted that the country was being burdened with more responsibilities than it could shoulder, the opposition was prepared to help the government bring this matter before the competent EU authorities. In this way, Maltese citizens would not suffer the consequences of having scarce resources deployed on other sectors.
The Resources Ministry in a reaction to the MLP statement urged the opposition not to seek political mileage from this tragedy.
The ministry said it was being prudent in its comments, especially since a search for a missing person was ongoing and a Magisterial inquiry was in progress.
It said that Dr Sammut was making himself to be judge and jury in this episode.
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Comments
What about the over-populated fisheries department - why wasn't there surveillance on the VMS which could have detected the disappearance of the Simshar sooner?
That the AFM is spread too thinly is a known fact.
That there MAY have been several shortcomings - is for the inquiry to find out and what remedies can be found.
To try to implicate politics is downright disgusting and achieves absolutely nothing.
What is ironic about all this, is the fact that the cost of the air and sea searches so far, more than exceed the combined salaries of several employees which the AFM sorely needs in their monitoring process. However (and the inquiry will prove this) it appears that even if the AFM or the fishermen helping with the search converged on the spot two days earlier, from what was reported, would have made very little difference as to the survival of the four men.
According to various reports, it appears that the four had died very shortly after the fire.
Again, bits and pieces of information will be handled by the inquiry and since there is a survivor much of the speculation will disappear.
We just hope that any recommendations will be followed up meticulously.
You know full well that the Vessel Monitoring System is there to monitor fishing vessels movement to ensure that they do not fish in prohibited areas; and as such, it is the reason that it is not monitored ona 24 hours basis. To suggest otherwise, and to preempt the enquiry headed by Dr . Anne Fenech is totally unaccceptable and inresponsible.
@ Chris Borg
Isn't the enquiry by Dr. Anne Fenech to do that exactly what you are suggesting and more.
One thing I am sure of, partisan politics should not feature in such a tragedy, if our AFM lack the resources needed for proper search and rescue operations, than it is us as a whole nation that will eventually suffer the consequences.
You're obviously right in stating that "the Government and the Opposition represent the nation" - you don't have to be a rocket scientist to work that one out. However, your claim automatically induces that the government is responsible for everything. While it is clearly responsible in terms of an administrative role, it cannot be held responsible for the tragedy itself, which is something that Joe Sammut seems to be willing to imply in his comments! Politicising a tragedy is something that can only possibly cause more grief to the nation and, in particular, the mourning families.
Stating that certain comments "beggar belief" though is below the line - just because other people think in a different way to you, it doesn't mean that you're always right and they're always wrong. Well, I'm not surprised you said that - it seems to be typical of the majority of the things you write.
Having said that, I am not condemning the inquiries - both magisterial and investigative. However, these have to be carried out with the least publicity possible for obvious reasons. In the meantime, the Maltese should continue to show solidarity with both the Bugeja and Carabott families.
M. Farrugia
FYI I am not a laborite.
The blinkers are worn by the people who are not seeing a pattern. Till before the election Gonzi had an almost untainted reputation but seems to be working to change that.
There should be an inquiry for the loss of the Simshar but there should also be one to find out why the AFM didn't carry out a successful search and rescue by using all the tools that are available to it.
Gonzi defended the AFM blindly trusting that they did all they could.
At least, I sincerely hope that if inquiry proofs that there were several shortcomings, which am convinced there were a lot, corrective measures are taken to ensure that these things NEVER happen again.
It is also very worrying to get to know that the AFM is very limited in resources, which brings me back to the unanswerable question of why, in this case the fishermen were not allowed to help in the search from day one??
Well Mr. Borg, if as Joe Sammut alleges, the AFM does not have the required resources, and if the Fisheries Department has shortcomings (and they have already been admitted because the Head of the Department said publicly that the person who regularly monitors the Vessel Monitoring System was away on leave and therefore the system was not monitored properly), then this is the Government's responsibility, and it is the Opposition's responsibility to reveal these shortcomings. That is how democracy works believe it or not! This was a national tragedy and the nation is responsible. The Government and the Opposition represent the nation. Is that so difficult to work out?
Collective responsibility as a nation is something that we know very little about. Recently the head of Welsh Affairs in the British Government (an MP) resigned from his post. The reason - he had entered a pub smoking a cigarette and thus broken the law!!!!! Maltese politicians please note.
Whilst empathising with all those concerned in this great tragedy, I hope that the magesterial inquiry and the preliminary investigation headed by Dr. Ann Fenech will solve the mistery of how and why the boat was torn apart in pieces, when it is a known fact that deisel engines do not explode. Under normal circumstances one can state that this applies also to refrigirated equipment.
In my opinion rather than pointing fingers at different directions - and more so ending in turning such a tragedy in a poliotical ball game, as some commentators seems to be doing, we should refrain from making further comments and leave Magistrate Apap Bologna and Dr Fenech t o carry out their inquiries and investigations.
Michael Seychell
Can somebody explain what are the reddish/maroon objects seen on the top part of the boat in the photo? Why did the fishermen have to improvise rafts? Could they not make use of life jackets? Unfortunately, as is often the case, everybody is wiser after the event, which in this case happens to be tragic.
I don't think it's funds that we need. I think it's a question of a proper Frontex and a diplomatic agreement between the EU and Libya. Unless Libya starts collaborating, the problem will not be resolved and you will have two alternatives: either save the people on the boats or let them die! Which will it be?
Labour is asked to offer solutions, of course, when it criticises on matters upon which the Government has few, if at all, solutions.
I have no idea what you want to mean by the term 'unity government'. I hope you don't mean a coalition. That makes no sense and is not needed because this Government was democratically elected on its own. Sorry: but that's the truth.
I rather, think, Mr Axisa, that it is really the case that people of your way of political thinking will clutch at any straw to put the Govt in a bad light, and in certain cases, I find that rather disgusting.
And I have a feeling that much of what needs to be said, lies buried in the sea or has gone up in flames - and will remain a mystery.
Looks like he is losing credibility.
Ther Opposition should not wait the government's go-ahead to help Malta out of its predicament with the illegal immigration problem. It should act not for the gallery but for Malta's national interest.