Kenya has shown its support for the safety of fishing vessels and their crews by ratifying the 2012 Cape Town Agreement (CTA) and the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Fishing Vessel Personnel (STCW-F).
The CTA will bring in mandatory safety requirements for fishing vessels when it enters into force. The STCW-F, which is already in force, sets out mandatory standards relating to training, certification and watchkeeping of fishing vessel personnel.
Kenya is the 17th country to become a contracting state to the CTA, which will enter into force 12 months after at least 22 states, with an aggregate 3,600 fishing vessels meeting the length requirements operating on the high seas, express their consent to be bound by it.
The CTA will apply to fishing vessels of 24 metres and over in length. It includes provisions for stability and seaworthiness, machinery and electrical installations, life-saving appliances, communications equipment and fire protection, as well as vessel construction.
Currently there are 17 contracting states to the CTA with approximately 2,000 qualifying fishing vessels. With this latest ratification, the STCW-F now has 34 contracting parties.
