The Fishing Industry Association of Tonga (FIAT) has launched a 'Safety Revolving Facility' that will enable fishing vessel owners maintain and replace safety gear and equipment.
The T$60,000.00 facility, made available with the support of the National Economic Development Council (NEDC) is part of a FIAT 'Increasing Safety Strategy' that has been put in place to address the need to prioritise safety of life at sea.
The activities in the strategy include; the Safety Revolving Facility, Safety training courses, combined safety equipment servicing, Safety refresher sessions and Safety reminder prints.
FIAT within the strategy addresses two of the organisation's strategic goals 2 and 4, 'To have a trained fishing industry work force' and 'To reduce to cost of doing business' respectively.
The revolving facility will provide the opportunity for bulk purchasing and servicing which will reduce the cost to the individual fishing operator. At the same time the facility will provide the much needed cash necessary to comply with safety required standards.
FIAT strongly believes that a safer fleet is a productive fleet and the revolving facility is a step in the right direction in facilitating the development of the industry.
The National Economic Development Council supported the project with finances provided from the AusAid Performance Grant because they believed safety of life at sea to be a crucial aspect of fisheries development.
The revolving facility will be administered through a Management Oversight Committee consisting of representatives from the Council of FIAT.
