A Dunedin commercial boat owner says Maritime New Zealand (MNZ) prosecutes only when a seafarer dies and has ''no teeth'' to deter commercial boat owners from reckless behaviour.
Peter Scott, of Dunedin, said he had worked in the fishing industry for more than 30 years, more recently operating a shark-cage tourism venture. He moored his boat in Bluff.
The findings in the Transport Accident Investigation Commission [TAIC] Easy Rider inquiry report released yesterday were what he expected.
''Nothing's new. Every time there is a disaster, they have an inquiry and come up with the same results.''
He doubted MNZ would ''listen'' to the report recommendations because the Crown entity was ''seriously lacking'' and incapable, he said.
''A lot of these things are preventable but no-one is prepared to step up.''
MNZ safety inspectors should have stopped Easy Rider from leaving Bluff Harbour, he said.
He knew of a charter boat operator who committed two safety breaches in a year and MNZ had ''no teeth'' to prosecute him, Mr Scott said.
MNZ would prosecute the operator only when a safety breach ''killed'' someone, he said.
Direct Fish and Oyster owner Willie Calder said he had ''no complaints'' with the annual MNZ inspection of his commercial oyster boat Argosy in Bluff.
All commercial boats in Bluff were ''well maintained and in good condition'', Mr Calder said.
He was surprised the inquiry report focused on the fact there were only four life jackets for the nine people on board Easy Rider, he said.
''A life jacket is not going to help you that much ... because you're not going to last too long in that cold water.''
He had ordered survival suits - a waterproof dry suit that protects the wearer from hypothermia while immersed in cold water - for his oyster men to wear if the boat and crew were ever ''in difficulty'', Mr Calder said.
''It's fairly safe out there but if something did happen you're better off in a survival suit than a life jacket.''
The statistic of 37 maritime fatalities in New Zealand since the start of 2012 was nothing new, he said.
''There's always accidents. We've got OSH [Occupational Safety and Health] and everything now but there's just as many accidents now as there were 20 years ago.
''You can't stop accidents, they're always going to happen ... you take all the safety measures you can but there's always going to be an accident.''
MNZ spokesman Michael Flyger said every commercial fishing vessel must be deemed fit by MNZ.
''It's essentially a WOF [Warrant of Fitness] for your vessel, but it also includes operating limits, [such as] loading, safety plans, emergency procedures and so on.''
A skipper must be qualified and hold ''fit and proper person certification'' and the appropriate skippers' ticket, Mr Flyger said.
MNZ treated all breaches of maritime rules seriously and took ''appropriate action'' when required, he said.
MNZ welcomed the safety messages in the report but could not comment because it conducted its own investigation, which led to charges being laid against AZ1 Enterprises Ltd and director Gloria Davis.
A defended hearing was scheduled for September in Invercargill, he said.
