ABDALLAH MSUYA in Zanzibar
AS authorities here are eagerly waiting for a lift on the ban on international ship registration, Zanzibar has launched an online sea vessel registration process, a crucial step in curbing marine crimes.
“With this e-sea vessel registration,
definitely our trust internationally will rise as it will help us be
open and careful when issuing licences to international ships, Mr Haroun
Ali Suleiman, the minister responsible for legal affairs, said at the
launch of the new technology.
Mr Suleiman graced the event held here
on behalf of the Second Vice President, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi, who
thanked the South Korean government for supporting the establishment of
the online ship registration.
The minister said there had been
complaints that sea vessel registration in Zanzibar was unreliable after
a number of international ships registered by the Zanzibar Maritime
Authority (ZMA) and flying the Tanzania flag, were implicated in crimes
that included transportation of illicit drugs and arms.
After the incidents, the Union
government intervened by imposing a temporary ban on ZMA to register
foreign vessels pending reforms or improvement of sea vessels
registration.
Negotiations are underway between
Zanzibar authorities and their Union government counterparts to lift the
ban after major reforms in the registration process.
The Deputy Minister for Infrastructure,
Communication and Transport, Mr Mohammed Ahmada Salum, said e-sea vessel
registration would help in monitoring ships and take action against
vessels violating International Maritime Organisations (IMO) regulations
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