Important milestone for maritime safety

Yesterday marked an important milestone in New Zealand’s maritime industry as the last of almost 1200 commercial operators transferred to the new Maritime Operator Safety System (MOSS).

“It has been a successful, five year process,” Maritime NZ Deputy Director, Compliance, Pelin Fantham said.

MOSS was introduced on 1 July 2014, and Maritime NZ ran a gradual transition to help make the change from the old safety system to the new as smooth as possible for the industry.

Yesterday, Ms Fantham presented Penwarden Holdings Ltd with its certification in a small ceremony on Whangarei Harbour.

She congratulated Penwarden Holdings Ltd for completing the transition and bringing its fishing vessels the Bilyara, and the brand new Karearea, into MOSS.

“Transitioning from the old system to MOSS has been one of the most significant changes in the maritime sector for in the past 15 years.

“We recognise that this has been no small feat for operators, we greatly appreciate their efforts and have worked closely with them to help the transition process be as straightforward as possible.

“MOSS was designed to make it clear that an entire maritime operation, not just the vessel, needs to be examined to ensure all the safety risks are identified and managed.

“As a result it has helped to improve safety in the maritime industry and has strengthened the relationship between Maritime NZ and operators”.

Penwarden Holdings Ltd General Manager, Sam Penwarden said the transition to MOSS at first seemed daunting but proved to be smooth sailing.

“I’d like to thank our local Maritime Officer, Juan Schulz, and Heather Allen at Maritime NZ’s head office for all their support,” Mr Penwarden said.

“Our MOSS entry was a swift and efficient process, as was registering the new vessel into the ship registry.

“As a maritime operator we know our operations best.

“MOSS allows us to develop our own safety systems specific to our operations, while having good oversight from Maritime NZ – it has the balance right and helps us operate more safely.”

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