Conditions of pleasure boat licence

General Licence Conditions

  1. A vessel shall be maintained and equipped to licensed standards at all times whilst operating for hire and an authorised officer of the Licensing Authority shall be permitted to board the vessel at any reasonable time to inspect its condition and compliance with licensing requirements.
  2. A vessel shall not carry more than the number of passengers stated in the licence. The name of the licensee, the licensing authority and the permitted number of passengers shall be conspicuously displayed on the vessel.

  3. The person in command of an inland waterways vessel (the boatmaster) shall be of a minimum age of 18 years. Under the BML Regulations 2006 the boat master of any vessel carrying up to 12 passengers commercially is required to be qualified; either by holding a BML of an appropriate grade or an alternative qualification as listed in Annex 1 of MSN 1808.

    Note for guidance: in practice this means that a boatmaster, in charge of a hired boat and not operating commercially, would not be required to be qualified.

  4. The licensee of a vessel shall maintain a Third Party and Passenger Insurance to cover a minimum sum of £5,000,000 for those vessels licensed to carry between 4 and 12 passengers, and £2,000,000 for those vessels licences to carry up to 4 passengers. The policy for such insurance shall be produced on application/renewal, or by request, to an authorised officer of the Council. Any change in policy during the period of insurance shall be notified to the Council.
  5. The licensee shall report any accident which affects the structural integrity of the vessel in writing to the licensing authority within 7 days. The vessel shall not be operated under a local authority licence following such an accident until such time as an authorised agent of the licensing authority has confirmed that satisfactory repair has been carried out.
  6. The licensee shall ensure compliance with Section 85 of the Water Resources Act 1991 by preventing the dumping of rubbish overboard.

Area of operation

A vessel licensed in accordance with this scheme is restricted to operating from the nominated departure point(s) and within Category A and B waters as defined by Merchant Shipping Notice No. 1776 (M).

Applications for a licence to operate in Category C waters will be assessed on an individual basis, in consultation MCA Officers.

Vessel Condition

  1. A full (out of water) hull survey report on the condition of hull externally and internally, valid for insurance purposes, will be produced for inspection by the licensing authority as follows:
    1. On application for a new licence;
    2. Up to 5 years from the date of completion of last out of water survey; (provided that the vessel has not knowingly suffered any grounding or contact below the waterline since the last inspection)
    3. After any accident which impairs the structural integrity of the vessel.
  2. Surveys must be carried out by a surveyor who holds appropriate specific professional Indemnity Insurance who is either:
    1. A member of the Yacht Designers and Surveyors Association.
    2. A member of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects at not less than Associate level.
    3. A member of the Institute of Marine Engineers at not less than Associate level.
  3. The vessel shall be subject to inspection by an authorised agent of the local authority as follows:
    1. Annually for general condition of the vessel, service of the machinery, electrics, any gas appliances, accessories and safety equipment.
    2. After any accident which impairs the efficiency of the machinery, electrics, accessories and safety equipment.
    3. For the purpose of this section the authorised agents of the local authority are:
      1. ANDMarine Ltd. Email: andmarine@gmail.com. Phone: 01394 271435
      2. Terrence Davey. Email: gosford44@gmail.com. Phone: 07710 206970
      3. Colin Mallard South. Email: Mallard2@aol.com. Phone: 01206 307547
      4. Peter Simmons, Harbourmaster, Harbour Office, Blackshore, Southwold IP18 6TA. Email: Peter.Simmons@eastsuffolk.gov.uk.
      5. Marine Techniques (have local marine surveyor who will attend anywhere in East Suffolk). Email: admin@marine-techniques.co.uk. Phone: 0800 1488 150
      6. A member of the Institute of Marine Engineers at not less than Associate level. Any other marine engineer approved by the licensing authority.
    4. The cost of all inspections carried out by authorised agents will be met by the applicant/licensee

Safety Requirements

Unless the local authority has authorised variation of the following requirements, a licensed vessel shall be equipped with:

  1. For each person on board one Lifejacket approved by the MCA or under the Marine Equipment Directive (MED) approved ‘wheelmarked’; or complying with BS/EN 396 or BS/EN 399 standard.
  2. QTY 2 life buoys attached to 18m lines, one buoy to be fitted with light if operating at night.
  3. First Aid Kit clearly marked and located.
  4. One ‘coastal pack’ of distress flares.
  5. Marine VHF Transceiver and an additional portable broadcast receiver capable of receiving weather forecasts.
  6. A compass.
  7. Nautical Chart/Charts of operating areas.
  8. Main anchor, appropriate to size of vessel, complete with chain or rope, together with an emergency anchor.
  9. Tow-line of appropriate size for vessel.
  10. Heaving line.
  11. Boat hook.
  12. Emergency steering bar or other means of control in event of main steering failure.
  13. Tool kit to suit vessel's machinery.
  14. Bucket with lanyard.
  15. 9 litre Foam or CO² Fire extinguisher to be maintained according to maintenance instructions and serviced annually by a competent person.
  16. Radar reflector mounted as high as possible.
  17. Water resistant torch.
  18. Navigation lights and sound signals in accordance with the Merchant Shipping (Distress Signals and Prevention of Collision) Regulations 1996.
  19. A means of pumping bilges, power or hand operated, adequate for the size of the vessel, so that any compartment can be drained.
  20. An engine spares kit comprising pump impeller and gasket, spare elements for each fuel filter, spare drive belts and appropriate hose clips.