Four new zones reserved for swimmers, three at Marsascala and one in Gozo, were announced yesterday by Transport Minister Censu Galea during the launch of the 10th Safety at Sea campaign.
The zones in Marsascala are those near the waterpolo pitch, leading up to and along the promenade towards the Jerma Hotel and in St Thomas Bay. The new Gozo zone is at Mgarr ix-Xini.
The number of such zones - where seacraft are prohibited - has now reached 24. They are marked by yellow and red buoys placed at 50-metre intervals.
Speaking during a trip on board the mv Hera II, Mr Galea said that up to June 21, 4,086 licences had been issued to persons enabling them to drive engines with a capacity of 100hp or higher.
Next year the government intended to lower the motor capacity to 75hp for which a licence is required. Eventually a licence would be needed for the operation of all seacraft, he said.
Mr Galea said that notwithstanding a steady rise in the number of registered pleasure boats and other vessels, people were realising that caution and responsibly at sea were the best ways to avoid accidents, including fatal ones.
People still swam where they were not supposed to, in Grand Harbour, for example. It was irresponsible to swim in commercial harbours and creeks close to intense boating activity, he said.
Another aspect that will be stressed in the campaign is the importance of the use of adequate VHF radio by boat owners when out at sea.
"Boat owners have to realise that a mobile phone can never replace a VHF radio. A mobile phone's battery can run out, the range is limited and one can only contact one person at a time, with no guarantee of getting through. With VHF radio, all boat owners in the vicinity will hear the message and give the fastest possible assistance."
The minister said that to anticipate any problems, boat owners were also advised to inform relatives of their whereabouts so that in case of an accident, rescuers would have an idea of where to start searching.
Maritime Authority chairman Marc Bonello said the aim of the campaign, which runs throughout the summer, was to raise awareness among the boating community and swimmers that everyone can be at risk.
It was vital, he stressed, to respect regulations for although everyone had the right to enjoy the sea they should not put themselves and others in danger.
He said that although the Small Ships Register of the MMA exceeded 16,000, the number of active registrations stood at around 14,000, an increase of around 600 registrations over last year.
So the safety aspect was becoming more and more important. He appealed to the public to refrain from swimming in the vicinity of the launching lanes established by water sports centres in operation in popular beaches. These lanes were marked by white marker buoys and were used to launch rented craft including jet skis.
Abusive or dangerous activity is to be reported to the Administrative Law Enforcement police on emergency number 112. The Armed Forces' Maritime Rescue can be contacted on tel. 2180 9279.