Tuvalu rescue highlights importance of small boat safety

Transcript

COLIN TUKUITONGA: A large waterproof grab bag, this is the bag that you put the stuff in, three inflatable life-jackets, one personal locator beacon. This is really the key think because if you are lost in the big blue this sends the New Zealand Airforce Orion. So this is the main event. But it has got a medical kit, its got a whistle, a strobe light, a VHF, handheld VHF radio, three, four pack batteries, there is a sea anchor, a map, compass, blanket and a thermal bag. It has got pretty much everything you will need at sea.

KOROI HAWKINS: Quite an impressive emergency kit that is and how many of these bags have you given out and to whom?

CT: Well Tuvalu is the poster boy because they have on a number of bags per small boat. They have exceeded themselves. We gave them, well EU money, 30 bags and they went off and bought 128 themselves. So we are really pleased with this. The whole thing costs $US 1200. And you know, what is the per hour to get an Orion out of Auckland?

KH: Way more than that.

CT: Yeah well exactly. So each bag is $1200 and that would be a fraction of an hour of the Orion  [flying] time. So Tuvalu we gave them 30 back in late 2015 and they ordered 128 more for themselves. But we gave some out to PNG, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Tonga and Niue.

KH: And there has been a success story in the past few weeks, I understand a couple of men have been rescued having used the equipment in the bag?

CT: Yes on the 28th of February two guys from Tuvalu set out fishing and were adrift for some 15 hours because their boat broke down. And so they set this thing off and they were pretty much picked up safe and sound.

KH: Do you envisage putting more of these bags out there? It seem like a very important initiative . Is there funding to get more bags out into the Pacific?

CT: Well the European Union money for this project DevFish2 has ended but I think people need to understand that we are, it is our business, small boat safety is our business and we have been at this game since 1995. And chances are whilst this particular EU funded project has ended we will no doubt continue to do this. Because this is part and parcel of small boat safety. So we, just handing out the bags is just one, you know you need to educate the people how to use them and so on and we have run small engine maintenance around the islands. This is just normal part of SPC coastal fisheries guys working with the islands.