The South African Maritime Safety Authority ( SAMSA ) was established under the SAMSA Act 5 of 1998 . It is the authority charged with the promotion of South Africa ’ s maritime interests . These interests , rights and obligations are covered under international conventions to which South Africa is party , such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas ( UNCLOS ), the Safety of Life at Sea ( SOLAS ) and other maritime related conventions , which SAMSA must protect and promote . These international conventions are administered by the International Maritime Organisation ( IMO ).

The articulation of the maritime policy imperatives and goals are as follows :

• Developing maritime awareness ;

• Assisting in the creation and fostering of an economic environment for the Maritime Transport Industry which will allow it to compete with other nations ;

• Contributing to the release of the full potential of the maritime industry in South Africa and to the modernisation of the shipping administration ;

• Ensuring fair labour practices such as employee rights , job creation and security with acceptable standards of employee health , welfare and safety in the maritime industry .

As a result of articulations in the Transport Policy the founding legislation of SAMSA identified three core mandate of the entity as :

• To ensure safety of life and property at sea

• To prevent and combat pollution from ships in the marine environment

• To promote South Africa ’ s maritime interests Website : www . samsa . org . za