Vanuatu’s Prime Minister Jotham Napat has cancelled his trip to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) this week, as the search for survivors from the MV Matui continues.
Napat was scheduled to lead Vanuatu’s delegation to the 81st Session of the UNGA in New York.
However, in a statement on Tuesday afternoon, the Vanuatu Prime Minister’s Office said he would cancel his trip “to attend to urgent domestic matters”.
Napat will now fly to Santo, where the country’s inter-island ferry, MV Matui, departed before sinking last week, resulting in two confirmed deaths so far.
The Vanuatu Maritime Safety Authority (VMSA) said 14 survivors have been recovered as of Tuesday evening (NZT), but approximately 30 or more were still missing. The Vanuatu Daily Post reported that the ship was deregistered in June and was not certified to carry more than 30 passengers, according to VMSA sources.
Napat said the tragedy showed that the country’s national regulatory body responsible for maritime safety and security must be strengthened and properly resourced.
VMSA officials told RNZ Pacific that they would work alongside the prime minister to investigate what happened and what the authority needed to do after the search and rescue efforts ended.
Prior to the announcement, Napat and his office took over the oversight of the VMSA, which conducts civil defence and search and rescue operations, from the Ministry of Ocean and Maritime Affairs.
“The Government acknowledges that this situation could have been minimised or avoided had all responsible authorities been alert and up to the task,” he said.
“We must learn from this and take appropriate action so that we do not face this again.”
Meanwhile, there are still questions about the exact number of people who were on board the MV Matui.
An official told RNZ Pacific the number given by the shipping agent did not match the reports from family members indicating that approximately 50 people were missing.
“The shipping agent they give [the VMSA] much lesser number, less than 10 people. So, it will be subject to investigation for us to ascertain the total number on board,” a VMSA official said.
With calm sea conditions forecast for Tuesday, officials are hopeful that more missing people can be located at sea or along beaches around Santo and Sanma Province.
