Hazards of sea-borne vehicles discussed at seminar

The hazards of sea-borne vehicles which can be hired by the uninitiated and can reach speeds of up to 70 miles per hour, with no brake or reverse gear, were discussed at the first of three public seminars on marine leisure safety, held in Athlone, Co Westmeath, yesterday.

Jetskis, also known as personal water craft (PWCs), offer the user the sensory equivalent of at least 210 m.p.h. on a motorcycle. Few untrained users would have the reactions necessary to match this speed, the seminar was told.

Some 150 delegates attended the seminar, part of an initiative by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources to draw up new safety regulations in the marine leisure area following recent accidents.

Hosted by the Marine Institute and the Department of the Marine and Natural Resources, the seminar is one of three to be held before a special action group on small recreational craft reports back to Dr Woods.

The action group is chaired by Mr Clayton Love jnr, who recently retired from the position of deputy chairman with the Royal National Life-boat Institution (RNLI). The group includes representatives of the RNLI, the Irish Sailing Association, the Irish Marine Federation, the National Safety Council and the Garda Siochana, as well as several Government Departments and State agencies.

A new marine safety division has also been established within the Department of the Marine.

While yesterday's meeting focused on jetskis, the two further seminars will concentrate on safety, training and regulations for commercial boating and recreational craft. They will be held next month.

Meanwhile, it has been announced that a major international conference on the sea is to take place in Dublin next month. Deficiencies in coastline security in relation to drug-trafficking, the transport of nuclear and toxic material, and the protection of marine resources is to be highlighted.

Failure to develop the mercantile marine sector at a time of increased economic activity will also be discussed at the conference, which is being hosted by the Nautical Institute's Irish branch.

The international body represents 7,000 seafarers, both mercantile and naval, in 10 countries.

Speaking at a reception to announce details of the initiative in Dublin yesterday, Cdr Jim Robinson DSM, of the Naval Service, said the State's mercantile marine was still a long way short of its potential and did not reflect current economic success.

"We do not participate in a proportionate way in our own trade, in European and global trade," Cdr Robinson, who is also chairman of the Nautical Institute's Irish branch, said. He also called for greater communication between sectors with shared expertise in the marine area.

Dr Woods will open the seminar on November 17th in Dublin, and the speakers will include Lieut Cdr Hugh Tully of the Naval Service, who will present an assessment of the State's coastal responsibility; Mr Alex Mullin, who will speak on merchant shipping and transportation; Mr Jeff Livingstone, chief of operations at the Irish Marine Emergency Service; and Dr Peter Heffernan, chief executive of the Marine Institute.