New regulations to govern inshore waters |17 August 2020
The consultative meeting in progress (Photo: Anel Robert)
The Beach Control Act was enacted in 1971 and its subsequent legislations, Beach Control Regulations, came into force in 1978 and since the Act itself and the subsidiary legislation regulate several parts of the sea and the beach, it is being administered by various governmental entities.
As 75 percent of the Act is about regulating the use of the inshore waters which is a direct mandate of the Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority (SMSA), it was proposed that relevant sections pertaining to the mandates of the authority is repealed from the Beach Control Act and transferred to a separate regulation under the SMSA Act, 2019 under the proposed name of Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority (Inshore Waters) Regulations 2020.
Owners of leisure boats and companies offering related services had the chance to go through the new regulations during a consultative meeting with the SMSA on Friday at the Care House in Victoria, where they also brought in suggestions and proposals to boost the legislation.
The proposed regulation consist of 32 sections which among others address survey and identification of Crafts under ten (10) metres, licensing of commercial activities, categories of crafts, operating limits and powers of the authority (stop and search/ inspection/ restriction on operation) and demarcated zones.
New categories of crafts addressed by this regulation include water craft –which include a motor boat, a water scooter (jet skis), water ski and any craft licensed under these regulation and the Control of Hire Craft Act and any type of craft used for pleasure however propelled (Regulate any future crafts introduced) – Commercial water Craft (means a water craft used for hire or reward)
Non-Motorised Water Craft (Craft or equipment used in water sports activities which is not propelled by a motor engine of which may include but not limited to canoes, sailing boat which use sail as means of propulsion), Commercial non motorised water craft (means a non motorised water craft used for hire or reward – rescue boat required), beach craft (means a watercraft having a length not exceeding 6 metres and having a beam not exceeding 2 metres operating from a specific departure point to a designated destination within a specified regulated area and does not include an inflatable boat), commercial beach craft (means a beach craft let out for hire) and water park (means any activity conducted within the inshore waters by an inflatable and other fixed fixtures placed on the sea for enjoyment and recreational activities).
Upon identification the craft will be allotted with markings depending on the type of activity followed by a number provided for by the authority.
Those identification markings will have to be painted conspicuously at least 50mm high and 15mm wide.
Temporary identification will be required for watercrafts which will be operating within the Republic of Seychelles for three months renewable for another 90 days only upon request.
The operator and the employees of a licensed watercraft business shall be required to have a Certificate of Proficiency and at least three years of experience to operate such craft in order to properly instruct its clients on the safe operation of the watercraft.
Roland Duval