Legislation to establish the promised independent marine casualty investigation board has been introduced by the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Dr Woods, writes Lorna Siggins.
The new body aims to adopt a "more open and transparent" approach to investigating the cause of marine casualties, and will have wide-ranging powers. It will be able to publish reports of investigations more speedily within a statutory time frame - usually nine months from the report of the incident.
The board was one of the recommendations of a review group established by the Minister's Department, which produced its report last year. In a separate initiative, Dr Woods also plans to introduce a new framework to regulate the use of pleasure craft, including jetskis and powerboats.