Gov’t demanding boats be insured; it's the law
However, the biggest eyesore remains our bays, marinas, harbours, some beaches and coastline which as of today April 7, 2018, are still littered with sunken boats, yachts, broken docks, vessels and barges on land and in bays along with some boats and yachts still on both public and private lands.
It has become one of the biggest challenges to clean up as seven months later not many have been removed from where Irma and Maria left them on Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke and Anegada.
It is our newsroom's understanding that part of the problem is to identify the owners and others do not have insurance, like most cars and homes or businesses.
Insure vessels it’s the law
However, the Government’s agency the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry and Receiver of Wrecks responsible for all vessels and sea craft are reminding owners of vessels operating in the Virgin Islands' (VI) waters to properly insure.
The appeal was made in a Government Information Service (GIS) press release issued yesterday April 6, 2018. Government spokeswomen Bria Smith suggested, it was even more important “before the beginning of the 2018 hurricane season".
Ms Smith stated, “In accordance with The Merchant Shipping Act of the VI, every vessel, including pleasure and commercial boats, whether unregistered or registered in the VI or overseas is required to carry insurance coverage against risks and loss or damage to third parties, and against wreck removal expenses.”
The GIS press release also warned that “The act further states that an owner or operator of a boat which is not insured as required above, commits an offence and is liable upon summary conviction to a fine not exceeding twenty thousand dollars.”
Acting Director for the VI Shipping Registry and Receiver of Wrecks, Captain Raman Bala also according to the same release added, “There has been widespread damages and wrecking of vessels. The owners of those vessels that carried insurance have been properly compensated and boats disposed of. There are still hundreds of boats that are uninsured and most appear to be abandoned by their owners on our beaches, private lands and coast. If these boats are not removed, there will be direct consequences to the economy in terms of the environment, tourism and conduct of commerce.”
Law allows recovery of cost- Captain Balla
Captain Balla further warned boat owners in the same release, “Even if the government discard these boats, there is a provision in the law to recover the costs from boat owners. Therefore, it makes great sense to insure these vessels well in advance of the 2018 hurricane season.”
The Government has been warning boat and other vessel owners for months to remove their abandoned, and damaged crafts, however, to date the warnings have fallen on deaf ears with the government only intervening whenever there are public or other department outcries like in the case of the Mayflower.
Even before the Hurricanes of 2017 many areas on Tortola and Virgin Gorda especially, the Sea Cows Bay Harbour and areas of Road Town have been an eyesore with half sunken and damaged vessels and decommissioned ferry boats with no actions taken by Government to date.
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21 Responses to “Gov’t demanding boats be insured; it's the law ”
The max fine for contravening section 54 is $20,000US. The Receiver of Wrecks is responsible for determining the 'satisfactory' amount for wreck removal expenses.
Let's see the government put it's money where it's mouth is.
The real question that should be asked is if government intends to do business differently , the government lost everything more or less because they don't insure their stuff all the vehicle all their buildings if they still have any are gone but yet they are policing people they need to get their house in order and set an example for people to follow now that the hurricane is gone there is no way for the lost by government to be replace because they had no insurance and that is a shame and if the government implemented the laws we would not have this problem