A new vessel for the Royal Montserrat Police Marine Unit is under construction and is due to arrive in Montserrat in early April. The vessel is being built at the Ambar Marine yard in Theodore, Alabama, USA. It is being paid for by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office under its Good Government Fund. Technical advice is being provided by the British Military Advisory & Training Team (BMATT), Antigua.
Recently a group of marine experts including members of the RMPF Marine Unit and BMATT visited the yard and declared themselves very satisfied with the vessel's progress. The recent photo shows how well the ship is coming along.
According to BMATT the new ship (which will be named Shamrock like her predecessors) offers exceptional value for money and comes with a very generous support package including a spare set of twin 225hp outboard engines, lifting harness and cradle for storage during hurricane seasons and maintenance periods. It is specifically designed for the demanding duties of Military, Coast Guard and Marine Police Units and has an impressive array of equipment to match.
Efforts to obtain a new vessel have been ongoing for sometime, but the unfortunate accident earlier this year in which the previous Shamrock was wrecked lent even more urgency to this issue. Commissioner Douglas said he very much welcomed the new craft. "The new vessel will once again give the RMPF Marine Unit invaluable search and rescue capabilities and allow us to resume regular patrols to maintain safety at sea and to counteract any illegal activities."
The joint chairmen of the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) Board, His Excellency the Governor Anthony Longrigg and the Hon Chief Minister, Dr John A. Osborne, will both speak at the official opening of the state-of-the-art MVO building at Flemmings in Salem on Thursday, March 6, 2003.
The opening ceremony will also include a short address by Rod Matthews, Divisional Engineering Adviser, representing the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID).
Acting MVO Director Dr Gill Norton will chair the proceedings.
It’s expected that the official ribbon cutting will be done by a Form Six Science student at the Montserrat Secondary School.
A number of scientists from Guadeloupe, Martinique and Britain, who have been associated with the MVO and the monitoring of the Soufriere Hills volcano are expected to attend the function. Also attending the ceremony, scheduled for 5 pm on March 6, will be a representative of the University of the West Indies's Seismic Research Unit.
Bishop Kenrick Harewood of the Church of God Prophecy, whose construction firm built the new MVO facility, is listed to give the invocation and bless the Observatory and the staff.
Mr Horatio Tuitt, Director of the Emergency Department, will give the Vote of Thanks.
During the ceremony, Dr Norton will formally unveil the Peter Francis Conference Room. Mr Francis is a renowned volcanologist and incidentally a former Chief Scientist at the Montserrat Volcano Observatory.
Alan Campbell of DFID (Montserrat) confirmed that the cost of the MVO building, the access road and the helipad is 4,175,000 Eastern Caribbean (EC) dollars.
Mr Graham Fry, a senior Foreign Office official and the Director - General, Public Services at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) will visit Montserrat 5 - 7 March.
Mr Fry, the former High Commissioner to Kuala Lumpur, has been with the FCO for over 30 years and has previously worked in Tokyo and Paris. His other FCO responsibilities have included Head of the Far Eastern Department, and Director, Northern Asia & Pacific Command.
Mr Fry is going to both Montserrat and Anguilla during this visit, to familarise himself with the issues relating to Overseas Territories.
During his visit to Montserrat, Mr Fry will meet with H.E. the Governor, the Hon Chief Minister and other Ministers of Government, the Leader of the Opposition as well as visiting FCO and DfID funded projects to see the progress being made on the island in the aftermath of the volcanic eruptions of recent years. In addition, Mr Fry will attend the opening ceremony of the new MVO carded for the afternoon of 6, March 2003.
The latest Scientific and Hazards Assessment has now been released. It is a second addendum to the full report of September 2002. To view the latest Assessment Click Here.
To see the latest Risk Map Click Here.
The Health Department of the Government of Montserrat has published the findings of recent ash studies. Montserrat's Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr Joe Hawes said:
" Montserrat's volcanic ash is known to contain up to 20% (by weight) of a form of crystalline silica described as cristobalite, a mineral known to cause occupational lung disease (silicosis).
The fine particle size of the ash and the high cristobalite content suggested that it might be potentially hazardous to human health. Whereas the toxicity of ash from other volcanic eruptions has been shown to be no more than 'nuisance dust' the characteristics of Montserrat's ash suggested at the time that it might have a considerable toxic potential.
Based on this knowledge a decision was made to conduct research on the level of toxicity of the cristobalite found in Montserrat's volcanic ash and the overall impact on the respiratory system of inhaling the volcanic ash.
Four studies have been completed thus far. Two were laboratory studies using rats exposed to volcanic ash. The third investigated the effects of volcanic ash on the respiratory health of Montserratians living in Montserrat, whilst the fourth examined its effect on the respiratory health of Montserratians who relocated to the UK during the volcanic events of the mid 1990's.
The overall aim of all these studies was to better determine whether there is a significant possibility that volcanic ash is likely to be hazardous to the pulmonary health of the population of Montserrat.
The studies involving laboratory rats indicate that exposure to volcanic ash is unlikely to cause silicosis and that high levels of exposure over long periods of time are required to enable the detection of respiratory changes. The study conducted on Montserratians living on the island showed that there was no evidence of negative effects on the health of the population resulting from the level of exposure one encounters from residential exposure or exposure from domestic cleaning tasks.
The population of Montserrat that is most likely to experience lung changes from ash exposure is comprised of individuals in the occupation of gardeners and road workers. Lung injury is likely to occur only following constant prolonged exposure to high levels of volcanic ash. Members of the public who are already experiencing compromised respiratory functions (eg asthma, heart patients and the elderly) are also more susceptible to experiencing respiratory ailments following exposure.
Thus, the public health danger posed by the presence of volcanic ash can be viewed as an occupational hazard, and the preventative measures meant to protect the health of the people will be those demarcated under the guidelines necessary to decrease lung exposure to ash. The practice that citizens with a high risk of exposure need to adopt is that of wearing an ash mask to decrease the quantity of ash entering the lung.
While there is a clearer understanding regarding the low level of toxicity (ability to cause silicosis) of the volcanic ash, the Government of Montserrat stands in support of continuing studies to ensure the proper monitoring of the health status of the people of Montserrat. To this end, I will be attending a meeting in the UK during the week of March 2003 to discuss the method we will be adopting in carrying out this continuous monitoring process".
The detailed reports on the ash studies are available for the public to read at the Public Library in Brades and the continuing message to all Montserratians is 'for that ash task, wear your ash mask'.
THE FOLLOWING IS AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR ALL THOSE PERSONS ENTERING THE EXCLUSION ZONE WITH PERMISSION:
Certain portions of the Exclusion Zone around the Belham Valley can be entered by certain persons at certain times only with police permission and when volcanic activity permits.
For conditions of entry please seek advice from the duty officer at the Salem Police Station.
If you are in the zone and the sirens sound you should immediately go to a position of safety.
If you are on the Iles Bay Hill side of the Belham Valley please drive immediately to the top of Iles Bay Hill and wait there until you are told by Radio Montserrat (ZJB) that it is safe to move.
Do not attempt to cross the Belham Valley.
If you are on the northern side of the Belham Valley, immediately the sirens sound you should drive to the nearest exit gate and leave the Exclusion Zone.
When the sirens sound immediately go to a position of safety - do not wait to collect personal belongings or to lock up your property.
When volcanic activity reduces you will be allowed to return to complete your locking up.
When entering the Exclusion Zone always have a radio tuned to Radio Montserrat (ZJB) as the evacuate message will be broadcast simultaneously with the sirens going off.
FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY - PLEASE ADHERE TO THESE INSTRUCTIONS
The Volcano Risk Assessment Panel published two addenda to their last full Scientific Assessment of September 2002. The latest one is linked above (top story). The first one can be accessed here
The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced that Mr Rod Dean has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the CAA subsidiary Air Safety Support International (ASSI). The company has been set up to help provide a more cohesive system of civil aviation safety regulation in the UK's Overseas Territories. Mr Dean will take up his appointment on 1 April 2003.
Mr Dean has been Head of the General Aviation Department (GAD) with the CAA for almost three years. This role has predominantly involved safety regulation of the operational aspects of the 10,000+ aircraft in the UK's general aviation fleet, and safety promotion in particular. GAD is also concerned with the safety regulation of some commercial air transport activity and with corporate aircraft. The introduction of the UK's National Private Pilots Licence has been a recent particularly important project for GAD and involved wide industry consultation.
ASSI Chairman, Roy Swainson said "Mr Dean brings a wealth of experience in the regulatory field, particularly that involving general and corporate aviation. I am very pleased that he will be able to join us in working with the Directorates of Civil Aviation in the Overseas Territories to build on the efforts to ensure high levels of safety."
ASSI has been set up by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) under directions from the UK's Dept for Transport (DfT) and will help provide a more cohesive system of civil aviation safety regulation in the OT's. It will also be responsible for supporting their existing civil aviation authorities in the safety regulation of all aspects of civil aviation, including the licensing of personnel and airports and the certification of aircraft, airlines, and air traffic control.
ASSI will run as a not-for-profit company funded by the DfT, and will begin operations from 1, April 2003 from offices in West Sussex in the UK and an operational base in Antigua. It is expected that at least one third of its staff will be based outside the UK.
The Overseas Territories covered by ASSI are: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena and the Turks & Caicos Islands. Other Territories will be added as they commence aviation activities.
Jamaican Nationals living in Montserrat and elsewhere will need entry visas to enter the United Kingdom from midnight 8 January 2003.
The visa application forms are available at the Department of Labour in Brades.
Postal applications for visas will be accepted from Jamaicans living in Montserrat at the Consular Office in Bridgetown, Barbados whose address is also available at the Department of Labour.
Following the volcanic activity on Friday 10 January 2003, which saw Pyroclastic Flows reaching Dyers, the subsequent emergency evacuation of the areas around the Belham Valley on that date has been examined by the Volcano Executive Group (VEG) at their meeting on 13 January.
VEG members were unhappy with the evacuation times taken after the warnings were given at 11.20 on the morning of the 10th. In some instances people were still evacuating at 11.45, some 25 minutes after the alarm was raised. VEG members were of the opinion that it took too long to evacuate the areas.
To this end, it was decided that further simulation exercises would be carried out in due course to speed up evacuation times. In addition, individuals who took long times to evacuate, will be officially warned and if they repeat their slow movements their entry permits will be revoked.
It is reiterated that anyone entering the Old Towne, Happy Hill, Waterworks and Lower Friths area must be authorised to do so and must have a means of vehicular exit available to them at all times, have an audible radio swithched on and tuned to ZJB and must exit if advised to do so by Radio Montserrat (ZJB), police officers or if the sirens sound.
For a full listing of all press releases, including those related to Entry into the Evacuation Zone, please go to the Press Releases Page.
There is an updated list of links relevant to Montserrat on this website. To check out the new information click 'Links' at the top of this page or Here
Don't forget Commonwealth Day on 10 March. Look out for more news on this website.
