It is long past the time for the Transport and Harbors Department (T&HD) to draft and rigorously enforce strict safety policies on speedboats plying the many waterways of Guyana. Failure to efficiently and effectively monitor the safety standards of speedboats in Guyana, particularly those traversing very large commercial waterways, will only continue to result in the tragic loss of life. In these modern times, Guyanese need not be exposed to primitive speedboat conditions that place their lives at risk.

Personal Flotation Devices

All speedboats must be equipped with effective Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs) or Life Jackets as they are commonly known. These PFDs must be available to every person on a speedboat. However policy decisions must guide the length of time these PFDs are allowed on each boat. It is here the T&HD could come in and inspect all speedboats and assess the reliability of the PFDs onboard.

While most manufacturers of PFDs state that their lifespan should be about 10 years, health and safety inspectors have often posited that a number of factors determine when PFDs should be replaced. Some experts argue that all damage to the material through tears, abrasion, cuts in the cloth or webbing, color change or damage to the buckles, and others such as overheating, UV sun damage, incorrect storage or use, can adversely affect its buoyancy and lead to life threatening reduction in the safety offered by the product. T&HD can ensure that all such products are removed from service. Stiff penalties must follow those noncomplying speedboat operators.

Lighting

Another key safety component that the authorities can enforce and regulate is effective navigation boat lighting. Specific factors to be considered are the color of light used, (white, red, green, yellow, blue), arc of illumination, range of visibility, and location of lights on boats.

Navigation lights are used to for a number of reasons, some of which are to prevent collisions at night or in times of reduced visibility, and are an essential tool in keeping a boat and its passengers safe. They also allow boat captains to see other nearby vessels, and allow other vessels to see them.

Navigation lights can also provide key information about the size, activity, and direction of travel. But more importantly by understanding the characteristics of Navigation lights, a boat captain can determine an appropriate course of action upon approaching another vessel.

Sound/Horns

Just as proper boat lighting is important so is sound. Boats must be equipped with horns and captains must know how and when to use their boat’s horns. Again the T&HD could provide guidance on how and when to use horns e.g. the significance of a long or short blast.

Generally it is not quite clear what the criteria are for becoming a boat captain or mariner in Guyana.  But one must question whether or not Guyanese boat captains are properly trained and qualified to be operating commercially on the country’s very large and deep waterways. Can the T&HD categorically state whether boat operators are trained in the following areas: Maneuvering, overtaking, crossing techniques, narrow channel navigation, collision avoidance simulations, passing simulations?

A fair number of Guyanese utilize the waterways of Guyana. More stringent safety mechanisms must be put in place to avoid the loss of life and injuries as a result of tardy speedboat operation.