MARAD accused of undermining Bartica Speedboat Association

The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has been accused of undermining the mandate of the Bartica Speedboat Association (BSA).

This was according to BSA President, Stephen Belle, who stated that he received a letter from the organisation informing him that the Association will no longer be responsible for the approval of applications for speedboats to be added to the turn system.
According to Belle, MARAD has been undermining the Association for some time now and has not been allowing for it to execute its mandate. Instead, MARAD has now taken full control of a key role of the Association.
“This morning I received a letter dated the 13th of December which says, with immediate effect, all applications for water taxi speedboats to operate within the various services turn systems must be made to the Maritime Administration for approval. Such authority no longer resides with the Association,” he added.
He claimed that there was an instance earlier last year where one boat was given a turn in the system without the Association’s approval or any application being filed.
He stated that MARAD’s Director General, Claudette Rogers, had said that the boat was owned by an oil company, but it was later discovered that the owner of the boat was linked to a senior Government official.

Belle said that the boat was placed in the system by MARAD without any consultations or approval from the Association.
“We are very much concerned about what is happening and it seems as though nobody cares and [there is] nothing to be done… My major concern of this change is I think this is fraudulent, I think this is not good in principle,” the President expressed.
He added that MARAD has also been adopting unconstitutional practices by exceeding the stipulated number of boats allowed to operate.
“Right now, as it is, we have 53 boats, our Constitution says 50. Maritime induced on us three more boats, then now they want to bring in eight,” Belle noted.
The President further stated that the negative effect which the excessive number of boats in the system will have.

“Everything is on a decline in Guyana, including the boat service, so if they do something like this, it means that the boat business would become now not viable.”
Belle told Guyana Times that there are a number of boats operating without the legal requirements being met and that despite several reports being made, MARAD has failed to enforce the regulations on those guilty of breaking the laws and other relevant authorities have continued to ignore this.
“Every day there are boats that are loading back and forth without licences under the watchful eyes of the Maritime officials at Parika. Reports were made to the police and to the Minister, the Director [of] Maritime Safety, Harbour Master and nobody seems to care, nobody seems to be doing anything about it,” Belle explained.
The President indicated that the Association will be seeking legal action against MARAD if things are not rectified as soon as possible.
MARAD’s Public Relations Officer, when contacted, told Guyana Times to return a call today Wednesday at 09:00h.