Papua New Guinea's Maritime Safety Authority wants to more than quadruple the numbers of marine inspectors on its staff.
This is one of the issues the agency intends remedying after the Commission of Inquiry into the Rabaul Queen inter-island ferry disaster.
The Commission's report into the ship's sinking, in which up to 161 people died, was highly critical of the Authority.
Most of its recommendations call for action by the Authority and its general manager, Chris Rupen, says the Government has promised it will be properly funded.
He says they have eight inspectors but need about 36 and they will be hard to find.
"We face a lot of challenges at the moment because the qualified people that we are looking for are also being chased by the private shipping companies, but also with the LNG development in this country there is a demand on all people with the same qualifications and experience."
