CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Coast Guard Station Cortez law enforcement crew, with assistance from Sarasota Police Department, terminated an illegal charter vessel, Friday, near Big Sarasota Pass, Florida.
Coast Guard officers deemed the vessel acted as a small passenger vessel without certificate of inspection, terminated the charter’s voyage, and escorted the boat and passengers back to Nora Patterson Park, Siesta Key.
Violations issued during the boarding consisted of:
- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 176.100 (a) – failure to have a valid Certificate of Inspection.
- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 180.07 – adult life jacket must be provided for each person carried on board a vessel
“An uninspected passenger vessel is strictly limited by law to carrying six or fewer passengers for hire, while any vessel carrying more than six paying passengers must undergo rigorous Coast Guard inspections, “ said Brian Knapp, chief of investigations at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg. “Passengers can protect themselves by verifying the vessel has a valid Certificate of Inspection for these larger charters, and regardless of whether the vessel is operating as inspected or uninspected, they should always ask to see the captain's Coast Guard license. The Coast Guard strongly recommends that if you have paid for a trip and the captain cannot produce a valid license, you should not get on the vessel.”
In aggregate, owners and operators of illegal charters can face civil penalties of $69,000 or more for illegal passenger-for-hire vessel operations for multiple violations of Federal Regulations. Some potential civil penalties for illegally operating a passenger vessel include:
- Up to $5,996 for failure to provide a Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection for vessels carrying more than six passengers for hire.
- Up to $9,624 for failure of operators to be enrolled in a drug and alcohol program.
- Up to $20,468 for failure to produce a valid Certificate of Documentation for vessels over 5 gross tons.
The Coast Guard urges anyone paying for a trip on a vessel to verify the captain has a safety plan and a Merchant Mariner Credential. For larger charter boats or those with more than six passengers, ask to see a Coast Guard-issued Certificate of Inspection, or if they conform to Uninspected Passenger Vessel regulations. If the operator cannot produce appropriate credentials, passengers should not get on the boat.
Anyone with information regarding illegal charter operations is encouraged to contact CGIS here or download the app.
For additional recreational boating safety information, please visit www.uscgboating.org.
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For breaking news, find press releases and contact information for our regional public affairs offices here: U.S. Coast Guard News by Region.
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