Passengers travelling by boat would now able to confirm that those operating the vessels have been certified to do so, thanks to a new initiative, which requires vessels to display Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) stickers identifying the route they are plying.
The call for the decals was made by boat operators, who sought to protect themselves and their passengers, a Department of Public Information (DPI) release noted yesterday. The stickers indicate that the boats are licensed and certified by MARAD and are safe for travelling.
“The passengers will know it’s a licensed boat and it is not the ‘hustle boat’ because after hours, the hustle boat charges an extra fee and passengers blame all the boat operators including the licensed boats and captains as well, because they say they travelled on a boat and had to pay X amount of dollars. So, this will help them, it will shine a guiding light for passengers especially those who travel regularly,” Captain Narine, who travels the Supenaam to Parika route, said.
Aside from the confirmation of certification, the colour-coded stickers are representative of the different boat routes. Passengers can now identify boats travelling the Bartica route by their blue stickers, Supenaam boats by their green stickers, Leguan by purple decals and Demerara by the orange.
Commuters are urged to only use those boats labelled with the decals, and are being asked to adhere to the safety regulations when travelling.
“The colours will signify the route and the route is also at the front of the boats. It is basically for passengers to know which are the boats that are certified as competent by MARAD and those that are not, they should not go on because they probably are not safe to travel on,” Director of Maritime Safety, Captain John Flores said.
Licensed boat operators can uplift the decals at the various stellings or at the MARAD office for $1,500, DPI said.
