– If you fall into the sea in pitch darkness and bad weather, it will be difficult to find you quickly. Without such equipment, it is not certain that you will be found at all. That’s what Kai Ronny Tangen says. He works at sea, for a shipping company that has AIS transmitters in the life jackets of its employees. An AIS transmitter can make it easier to find people who fall into the sea. However, this is not required for catching and fishing boats in Norway. Earlier this year, Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) said that he wants a zero vision for everyone with the sea as a place of work. Seen in light of this, the Norwegian Seamen’s Association has a clear expectation. – With the zero vision that Skjæran and the government have set out, we expect that there will be a requirement to require such applicants to wear life jackets, says fisheries manager at the Norwegian Seamen’s Association, Ann Jorun Olsen. – We are aware that there are shipping companies that have that equipment in use today, so there is nothing that inhibits work operations on deck. It is a matter of cost. She says that such transmitters make it easier to save the lives of people who fall into the sea. In the worst case, people can also be found after they have died. – In such situations, it is important that the people are found, so that the family and next of kin have a grave to go to, says Olsen. An AIS transmitter makes it easier to find people who fall overboard, and can be bought in Norway for a few thousand Norwegian kroner. Photo: Privat An AIS transmitter makes it easier to find people who fall overboard, and can be bought in Norway for a few thousand Norwegian kroner. Photo: Private – Safety should be improved on all boats Tangen and his colleagues got vests with such transmitters after an accident on another boat in the shipping company he works for. – The safety of fishermen at work should be improved on all fishing boats, and such a transmitter is an added security. However, Tangen points out that there is no guarantee that such a transmitter will save everyone who falls overboard. – In the case of the crab fisherman, it might not have helped with such a transmitter if he went with the mill to the bottom. But if those who fall into the sea float up again, they can at least be found so that people have a grave to go to, he says. Tangen refers to an incident last week where a foreign citizen fell overboard from a Norwegian boat in the Barents Sea. The person is presumed dead, and so far has not been found. news has tried to get a comment from the shipping company, but they do not want to comment on the accident until the police and other authorities have finished their work. Do you think more measures need to be taken? In the shipping company Lerøy Havfisk AS, all their boats have life jackets with AIS transmitters. – It came up as a potential for improvement from those on board, and was introduced a couple of years ago, says operations manager, Odd Johan Fladmark. – All new vests we buy are equipped with such transmitters. Fladmark points out that there is extra security for the employees, but no absolute guarantee. – If you first fall into the sea in the Barents Sea, with the temperatures and weather there, there is no guarantee that you will survive even with an AIS transmitter, he says. Fladmark therefore does not believe that a general mandate will automatically bring you close to zero vision. – I think the most important thing is that measures are put in place to prevent people from falling into the sea. But it is clear that such transmitters reduce the risk of a serious outcome if one were to do so, he says. For several years, jobs in fisheries and aquaculture have been one of Norway’s most dangerous occupations, measured in terms of the number of occupational accidents and fatalities. All new life jackets that are bought for Lerøy’s trawlers, such as MS Kongsfjord, have AIS transmitters fitted. Photo: Lerøy Havfiske AS – We have nobody to lose Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) thinks the accident in the Barents Sea was a tragic and sad event, and is clear that those who work at sea will return home safely. – My warmest thoughts go out to the family and the crew on the vessel, he says. – We are a port nation, and many people have their jobs at sea. Everyone whose job is at sea must also get home safely. Therefore, the government has adopted a zero vision for dead and seriously injured people at sea. It is the Norwegian Maritime Directorate that has been tasked with looking at which measures may be relevant in order to be able to move in the direction of a zero vision. But neither the Norwegian Maritime Directorate nor the minister will say anything concrete about which measures may be relevant at the present time, but point out that they will cooperate with other public and private actors. – It is useful to have input that results in good and effective measures. At the same time, I emphasize that the Norwegian Maritime Directorate already works continuously with safety at sea, while the shipping company is responsible for safety on board, says Skjæran. – This depends on good risk assessments, and need not be limited to measures that are required by law. The Minister of Fisheries and Oceans points out that everyone has a responsibility to contribute to ensuring that Norwegian vessels are good, serious and safe workplaces – I find that the vast majority of operators take safety on board very seriously and work continuously with a safety culture. I’m happy for that. We have no one to lose to the sea, he says. Fisheries and Oceans Minister Bjørnar Skjæran (Ap) wants a zero vision for those who work at sea. Photo: Rebekka Ellingsen / news Makes an appeal to its members The Fishing Boat organization represents a large proportion of Norwegian fishing vessels. They encourage their members to use safety equipment, even if it is not required. – Fiskebåt works to create safe workplaces at sea and encourages our members to use safety equipment, says information manager, Odd Kristian Dahle. He points out that AIS transmitters can be an effective measure. – The time margin is short when such accidents occur. Many – and a growing number of our members – use life jackets with attached AIS to more easily locate and find a missing person, says Dahle. Information manager at Fiskebåt, Odd Kristian Dahle, says they encourage all their members to make use of the security measures that exist. Photo: CF-WESENBERG
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Will have AIS transmitters mandated according to the government’s zero vision – news Troms and Finnmark
