Dubai – Boats, jet skis and all other marine craft will have to undergo annual technical testing and registration from this year, Dubai Maritime City Authority (DMCA) has announced. All marine craft, commercial as well as personal, will also need to be insured, and failure to do so will lead to fines.
The announcement comes in the wake of a new Dubai Executive Council resolution recently issued by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council. Resolution No 11 of 2013 was issued to implement Resolution No 11 of 2010 that called for licensing of marine craft in the emirate of Dubai.
“This move is set to create a secure and vibrant maritime industry in line with the Dubai Maritime Sector Strategy (MSS) aimed at developing, regulating and promoting the industry to ultimately position Dubai as a first-class international maritime hub,” said Amer Ali, Executive Director of DMCA. He added that licensing of recreational, commercial, sports, tourism and traditional marine craft represents a comprehensive regulatory framework to ensure the highest levels of maritime safety, secure navigation and operational efficiency along the coastline.
The service enables marine craft owners to complete the licensing process through a single point agency - DMCA - instead of having to visit several authorities, making the process easier, simpler and faster. The initiative also requires boat drivers and captains and crew to have a licence authorised by DMCA. The authority has authorised an institute to train boat operators and issue the licence, the name of which will be revealed soon. “Any person who already has a licence issued by any other authority or from another country can come to us and have the licence approved,” said Adel Kalantar, Director of Licensing and Registration Department at DMCA.
The licences will be issued and the boats will get a pass certificate after verifying their compliance with Dubai’s technical specifications, maritime safety systems and local environment-friendly requirements. The new system also authorises DMCA to issue relevant resolutions and regulations governing nautical activities in territorial waters, including water craft refuelling, diving, rescue missions, marine trans-shipment and many more.
Kalantar added that boat owners who have already registered their vessels with the National Transport Authority (NTA) need not rush to have them registered again with DMCA. “It’s an annual process. Those who have already registered with NTA can wait until their current licence expires, following which they have to register with DMCA,” he clarified. The fees for registration range from Dh300 to Dh510, depending on the size of the boat.
Re published from Gulf News : By Shafaat Shahbandari, Staff Reporter • Published: 14:40 September 25, 2013