This Bill confirms how much we are part of the global village. It also signifies the importance of regulating trade and commerce in order to enhance greater safety according to a uniform international standard. We need this so that every shipping company in the world is made to conform to the same strict requirements.
Most laws are reactive rather than proactive. Often they arise because of incidents, accidents and negligence. The Intergovernmental Maritime Consultative Organisation would have dealt with many cases of unsafe containers. The build-up in such cases would have prompted the need for an international convention. South Africa, having acceded to the convention, had to produce legislation of the type that is before us.
In a world where the making of a fast buck trumps every other consideration, it is absolutely essential to bring a halt to dangerous practices. The handling, stacking and moving of containers must guarantee the safety of those who handle containers. The onus for this safety has to be on those who convey such containers.
As each government in the world establishes effective procedures for the testing, inspection and approval of containers in accordance with the criteria established in the convention, companies will have to become fully compliant or face legal consequences.
Our Parliament should always bear in mind the importance of keeping in step with international norms. It should, of its own accord, be a zealous guardian of the rights South Africans enjoy through the Constitution as well as through international agreements and conventions.
In passing this Bill, we are looking at the bigger picture. Henceforth, every container will have to be maintained in a safe condition, as prescribed. Failure to do so will have legal consequences for the parties breaching their contracts.
In 1989, when the Exxon Valdez created the most serious ecological disaster for the United States, it happened because the owners of the carrier did not comply with the requirement of a double hull. Many containers do not meet structural safety requirements to transport dangerous goods or bulk liquids.
In 1987, an SAA aircraft, the Helderberg, plunged into the sea off the coast of Mauritius. Speculation has always been rife that the plane carried a highly volatile chemical substance on board. This was supposed to have been a vital component of Project Coast, the apartheid government's chemical and biological warfare programme.
Cope supports constitutionality and the strict observance of international conventions because these are inherent requirements of a fully functioning people's democracy. As such, we support this Bill and we hope that those who are appointed to serve as inspectors will be professionally qualified to meet international standards. Thank you. [Applause.]