fishingbc
Active Member
- The small vessell commercial licencing program became law in April of 2005 .
- Has your boat been inspected by a DOT inspector?. Do you know what modifications your vessels needs to bring it in compliance with the small vessel comercial licencing program?.
-Are you aware that you must obtain a MED certificate (marine emergency duties certificate) as well as a radio operators certificate-marine (ROC-M) now to comply with the small vessel comercial licencing program?.
-Transport Canada will not or cannot inspect boats 26 ft and under, which is approx 95% of the fishing charter fleet on Vancouver Island for the 2006 season. Why is DOT excluding 95% of the charter vessels or basically the whole industry working on the coast from obtaining proper DOT inspections for the 2006 season?
-There are approx 900-1200 charter boats working on the BC coast that have not been DOT inspected,or are non-compliant, or have operators who know nothing about the small vessel commercial license program, or have no idea how to make their vessels compliant without a PROPER DOT INSPECTION.
-Most of the charter boats operating on the coast of BC are different from each other, and need to be individually inspected by a DOT inspector to understand the complex set of rules laid out in the small vessel commercial license program.
-The communication and information provided from DOT to the charter operators, individual guides, lodge and resort owners regarding the small vessel commercial license program has been pitiful, much too late in the process, vague, misunderstood by most, without consultation, different in almost every region of the coast, and has resulted in a last minute, expedited, poorly organized attempt by DOT to bring one of the BC coast most valuable commercial sectors to be DOT compliant at this late date.
-the MAJORITY of charter operators in Victoria,Sooke,Port Renfrew,Nanaimo,the Gulf Islands,French Creek, Deep Bay, Comox, Campbell River, Telegraph Cove,Port Hardy, Prince Rupert,Nootka Sound,Tofino,Ucluelet, Port Alberni on and on to this date still have no idea what the small vessel commercial license program. is, how to comply with it, how to self-inspect their vessels, the legal ramifications of non-compliance, the insurance liability issues of non-compliance and so on.
-approx 95% of the charter boats working on the BC coast last year were non-compliant or thought their vessels were D.O.T certified. Some have c/o #'s and have never been inspected. Some have been inspected and have no c/o #'s. Confused yet?
-as of APRIL 2005 the liability insurance on these charter boats was either NOT VALID or was in jeopardy by having paying customers on board a vessel that was not D.O.T. certified or inspected.
-D.O.T wants the sport-fishing sector to self inspect their own vessels and enter the small commercial vessel licensing program . At this point D.O.T will consider you as “TRYING TO COMPLY”. What are the legal and liability ramifications of this? Do truckers inspect their own trucks to make sure they are compliant to all laws and regulations? Are they licensed inspectors? Are we? If truckers were told to by DOT to self inspect their vehicles what do you think the reaction would be? Has DOT not considered what the result of having charter operators, lodge and resort owners self inspect their own boats?
-The fact that you are “trying to comply” DOES NOT MAKE YOUR VESSEL COMPLIANT and leaves the door wide open to interpretation by any insurance underwriter, lawyer or judge in any legal action. This
-the risk of being held legally responsible for the DOT certification of your own vessel is risky to say the least, and one the insurance industry is being made aware at this time.
-At this time, no insurance broker, agent or underwriter contacted since the Campbell River Guides Association meeting with a DOT inspector would provide any guarantee in writing that any fishing charter insurance policy would provide valid liability coverage for any vessel not physically inspected, certified and licensed by DOT. Insurance broker sell insurance, don't be fooled into believing anything unless you see it in writing.
-by not having a DOT inspector physically inspect your vessel to see if it meets or exceeds DOT certification is again a risk none of us should not have to take
-all life jackets also need to be upgraded to meet DOT standards, not the coast guard standard. Mustang Survival ONLY MAKES TWO THAT ARE DOT CERTIFIED......one is a "neck ring" (approx $85.00) and the other is a SARTEC model (approx $275.00)
-the assumption that a vessel that is self inspected by any untrained, unaccredited persons IS VALID to satisfy an insurance underwriter (not your insurance broker) or any judge presiding over a possible legal action, that your vessel is D.O.T certified, is simply NOT TRUE
-
-the implementation of this program without direct consultation with the commercial sport-fishing sector, guides, charter operators, the insurance industry, lodge and resort owners is reckless and puts a large number of charter operators, guides, lodge and resort owners at risk for possible legal action due to the non compliance of their vessels.
- the 2006 sport-fishing season on the whole coast of BC is jeopardy by D.O.T's handling of the small commercial vessel licensing program
-WE CANNOT WORK WITHOUT PROPER LIABILITY INSURANCE
- The industry as a whole wants and needs to be certified but at what expense?
- Has your boat been inspected by a DOT inspector?. Do you know what modifications your vessels needs to bring it in compliance with the small vessel comercial licencing program?.
-Are you aware that you must obtain a MED certificate (marine emergency duties certificate) as well as a radio operators certificate-marine (ROC-M) now to comply with the small vessel comercial licencing program?.
-Transport Canada will not or cannot inspect boats 26 ft and under, which is approx 95% of the fishing charter fleet on Vancouver Island for the 2006 season. Why is DOT excluding 95% of the charter vessels or basically the whole industry working on the coast from obtaining proper DOT inspections for the 2006 season?
-There are approx 900-1200 charter boats working on the BC coast that have not been DOT inspected,or are non-compliant, or have operators who know nothing about the small vessel commercial license program, or have no idea how to make their vessels compliant without a PROPER DOT INSPECTION.
-Most of the charter boats operating on the coast of BC are different from each other, and need to be individually inspected by a DOT inspector to understand the complex set of rules laid out in the small vessel commercial license program.
-The communication and information provided from DOT to the charter operators, individual guides, lodge and resort owners regarding the small vessel commercial license program has been pitiful, much too late in the process, vague, misunderstood by most, without consultation, different in almost every region of the coast, and has resulted in a last minute, expedited, poorly organized attempt by DOT to bring one of the BC coast most valuable commercial sectors to be DOT compliant at this late date.
-the MAJORITY of charter operators in Victoria,Sooke,Port Renfrew,Nanaimo,the Gulf Islands,French Creek, Deep Bay, Comox, Campbell River, Telegraph Cove,Port Hardy, Prince Rupert,Nootka Sound,Tofino,Ucluelet, Port Alberni on and on to this date still have no idea what the small vessel commercial license program. is, how to comply with it, how to self-inspect their vessels, the legal ramifications of non-compliance, the insurance liability issues of non-compliance and so on.
-approx 95% of the charter boats working on the BC coast last year were non-compliant or thought their vessels were D.O.T certified. Some have c/o #'s and have never been inspected. Some have been inspected and have no c/o #'s. Confused yet?
-as of APRIL 2005 the liability insurance on these charter boats was either NOT VALID or was in jeopardy by having paying customers on board a vessel that was not D.O.T. certified or inspected.
-D.O.T wants the sport-fishing sector to self inspect their own vessels and enter the small commercial vessel licensing program . At this point D.O.T will consider you as “TRYING TO COMPLY”. What are the legal and liability ramifications of this? Do truckers inspect their own trucks to make sure they are compliant to all laws and regulations? Are they licensed inspectors? Are we? If truckers were told to by DOT to self inspect their vehicles what do you think the reaction would be? Has DOT not considered what the result of having charter operators, lodge and resort owners self inspect their own boats?
-The fact that you are “trying to comply” DOES NOT MAKE YOUR VESSEL COMPLIANT and leaves the door wide open to interpretation by any insurance underwriter, lawyer or judge in any legal action. This
-the risk of being held legally responsible for the DOT certification of your own vessel is risky to say the least, and one the insurance industry is being made aware at this time.
-At this time, no insurance broker, agent or underwriter contacted since the Campbell River Guides Association meeting with a DOT inspector would provide any guarantee in writing that any fishing charter insurance policy would provide valid liability coverage for any vessel not physically inspected, certified and licensed by DOT. Insurance broker sell insurance, don't be fooled into believing anything unless you see it in writing.
-by not having a DOT inspector physically inspect your vessel to see if it meets or exceeds DOT certification is again a risk none of us should not have to take
-all life jackets also need to be upgraded to meet DOT standards, not the coast guard standard. Mustang Survival ONLY MAKES TWO THAT ARE DOT CERTIFIED......one is a "neck ring" (approx $85.00) and the other is a SARTEC model (approx $275.00)
-the assumption that a vessel that is self inspected by any untrained, unaccredited persons IS VALID to satisfy an insurance underwriter (not your insurance broker) or any judge presiding over a possible legal action, that your vessel is D.O.T certified, is simply NOT TRUE
-
-the implementation of this program without direct consultation with the commercial sport-fishing sector, guides, charter operators, the insurance industry, lodge and resort owners is reckless and puts a large number of charter operators, guides, lodge and resort owners at risk for possible legal action due to the non compliance of their vessels.
- the 2006 sport-fishing season on the whole coast of BC is jeopardy by D.O.T's handling of the small commercial vessel licensing program
-WE CANNOT WORK WITHOUT PROPER LIABILITY INSURANCE
- The industry as a whole wants and needs to be certified but at what expense?
)))">The biggest issue the industry now has is trying to get their vessels inspected, what we as a whole are saying is that without a proper DOT inspection our insurance is NOT valid. There is no way anyone can be sure their vessel is compliant 100% because of the many very technical issues that are involved with making a recreational vessel a certified commercial veseel. It's not a matter of not wanting to comply. Most who have now heard of DOT plans to require self inspection DOT NOT want to be held legally responsible for the DOT certification of their vessels. There are still a huge number of top notch lodges,guides and resorts who know nothing about this issue. DOT has done virtually nothing to inform or contact the industry as a whole to make sure this is common knowledge.You would figure something that has serious implications coast wide would have had some sort of responsible communications with ALL sectors that fall under these new regulations. It wasn't until FEB 9 2006 that any sort of scheduled meeting on Vancouver Island between DOT the industry (C-R Guide Assoc)took place. A little late in the game.....The insurance industry is now having high level meetings with their underwriters to try and figure this mess out.....Do you have C/O numbers on your boat?
