New regulations aim to keep swimmers and snorkelers safe

Authorities are tightening up the management of inshore motor sports and motor pleasure boating in an effort to safeguard human lives from accidents near the beach.

Owners of leisure boats and companies offering related services had the chance recently to go through the new regulations during a consultative meeting with the SMSA 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.

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Maritime Safety Authority (SMSA), it was proposed that relevant sections pertaining to the mandates of the authority is repealed from the Beach Control Act and transferred to a separate regulation under the SMSA Act, 2019 under the proposed name of Seychelles Maritime Safety Authority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.

Temporary identification will be required for water crafts 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 will 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.

Source: Nation.sc