About 90 percent of small boats operating in the Corentyne area are not licenced with the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), due to the border situation which persists between Guyana and Suriname.This assertion was made by Captain Stephen Thomas,Wholesale NFL Jerseys Online, Director of Maritime Safety,Cheap Jerseys Wholesale, during the Ministry of Public Works’ 2013 performance press conference, last Friday.He suggested that the boats are probably licenced or registered in neighbouring Suriname.“That area doesn’t see much intervention from our department, mainly because of the maritime border situation there,Wholesale Jerseys From China,” Thomas said.However, for other areas where fishing is a major activity, MARAD has been trying to have fishing vessels licenced to ensure maritime safety. About 50 percent of fishing vessels operating are not licenced, but that percentage fluctuates whenever there are countrywide campaigns.Captain Thomas explained that unless staffers engage in out-of-town activities or are consistently behind operators, many vessels would remain unlicenced.According to Captain Thomas, MARAD and the Agriculture Ministry’s Fisheries Department are drafting a Memorandum of Understanding to make the licencing of fishing vessels compulsory.“So if they aren’t licenced by us they wouldn’t be licenced to fish and things like that,NFL Jerseys China, all in the interest of promoting safety,NFL Jerseys Wholesale,” he said.Providing other highlights of the department for 2013, Captain Thomas said personnel of the Ship Inspection Regime inspected over 500 vessels during the past year. He related that 350 personnel certificates were issued. “Most of them were for renewal and 150 were for new personnel,” he added.According to Captain Thomas,Cheap Jerseys From China, there were 22 reported accidents and unfortunately there were 37 deaths and 10 injuries. He noted that MARAD’s foreign vessel inspection programme did not perform as planned. The department was only able to inspect four vessels. This falls below MARAD’s target of surveying 25 percent of the foreign vessels that come to Guyana.