|
|
| News Release |
Date: May 8, 2008
Contact: Lt. Matt Dorris |
|
Coast Guard Asks Charter-Vessel Business Owners CLEARWATER, Fla. - The Coast Guard would like to inform hotel and business owners that sponsor charter-vessel businesses, that they should ensure that vessels are operated by properly-licensed operators. Charter vessels should be outfitted with proper lifesaving and firefighting equipment an emergency checklist, and passengers must receive a safety orientation upon departure from the dock. The Coast Guard disrupted an illegal dinner-cruise business operating out of a hotel in Clearwater, Fla., May 1. After receiving an anonymous tip, Coast Guard boarding officers from Coast Guard Station Sand Key, in Clearwater, boarded the 32-foot sailing vessel Almost Heaven III. A Coast Guard investigation determined that Gulfside Adventures, a company that conducts dinner cruises in Clearwater Beach, operated their 32-foot sailing vessel Almost Heaven III with serious safety violations. The investigation resulted in issuing the owner and operator of the vessel a citation. Almost Heaven III's operator has been charged with five offenses including taking paying passengers on a dinner cruise without a valid U.S. Coast Guard Captain's license, failing to enroll in a chemical testing program, negligent operations, and not providing passengers with emergency instructions or a safety orientation prior to getting underway. For these violations, the Coast Guard issued a $3,200 citation. Coast Guard regulations require each vessel transporting passengers to carry additional safety equipment and to have a licensed operator, holding a valid a Merchant Mariner's License. To receive a Merchant Mariner's License, a person must demonstrate fundamental seamanship knowledge and skills through tests and experience, undergo a criminal background check, pass a health exam, and participate in a drug and alcohol testing program. The Coast Guard, along with local law-enforcement agencies, actively investigates all reports of illegal passenger vessel operations, imposing civil or criminal penalties when required. In this case, an illegal and unsafe passenger-vessel operation was stopped and lives were protected. Hotels, or any other business, that sponsor charter vessel businesses should ensure that vessels are operated by properly-licensed operators who are enrolled in a chemical-testing program. Furthermore, vessels must be outfitted with proper lifesaving and firefighting equipment, an emergency checklist, and passengers must receive a safety orientation upon departure from the dock. This year, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg has performed nearly two dozen un-inspected passenger-vessel safety examinations. An un-inspected passenger-vessel is any vessel that carries six or fewer passangers for hire. If you want to ensure you're in compliance with federal rules and regulations, you may schedule a Coast Guard voluntary safety examination by contacting Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg at 813-228-2191, Ext. 8136.###
Guarding the coast and saving lives since 1790 -- the United States Coast Guard |
printer friendly