Urgent: Re-Check Your EPIRB & PLB Registration!

[Wotname]

Jedi, just to confirm; I think we are both saying the same thing.

[s/v Jedi]

Wotname: well, almost. The local government can't just select what laws they choose to enforce. Once they join the UN IMO/ITU as a signatory (and they all did) they MUST enforce their regulations at minimum but are allowed to add extra requirements for vessels under their nation's flag, like ATIS in parts of EU.

ciao

[GMac]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Wotname: well, almost. The local government can't just select what laws they choose to enforce. Once they join the UN IMO/ITU as a signatory (and they all did) they MUST enforce their regulations at minimum but are allowed to add extra requirements for vessels under their nation's flag, like ATIS in parts of EU.

In theory Yes but in practice it's very different.

You sure it's 12miles not 200? We arrest boats and all sorts of stuff right out to 200mls. I sussed my Insurance policy just last week and that states 'coastal' means out to the 200ml line. But then I suppose we aren't right next door to another country so maybe it's because we have the room to grab 200 where others haven't.

A NZ registered ship is NZ territory at all times. But when in another country must abide by the laws of that country. A bit like a offshore embassy but without diplomatic immunity or sanctuary. I think you'll find all registered ships are the same no matter which country they are registered in.

[Talisker]

Jedi, before we start confusing the world with abbreviations and colloquialisms, we had better explain to the non EU people that ATIS means Automatic Transmitter Identification System and is compulsory for commercial traffic on inland waterways within the EU but is not regulated by the ITU. It may also be a requirement for pleasure craft, but I am not sure.

I was giving the EPIRB issue some thought, in regard to W. Australia and I came to the conclusion that with such a long uninhabited coastline, W.A. won't have the coast littered with VHF land antennas, therefore very little Sea Area 1 coverage. So compulsory carrying of an EPIRB would make sense, especially if no SSB radio is on board.

One must not forget that Oz was the initiator of the GMDSS system after a disastrous Sydney- Hobart race, where the classic radio system broke down due to the number of distress calls being put out simultaneously. Therefore the antipodeans became a lot more safety conscious.

[Talisker]

GMac. The 200 mile limit is more a commercial interest zone i.e. fishing rights, oil drilling etc..

For insurance purposes they tend to insure to the edge of each continental shelf, or where it get dangerous. For example, my insurance (standard policy) covers me for the Baltic, North Sea, Mediterranean and Atlantic coastline, but stops at a line drawn between the northern most tip of Scotland and Bergen in Norway.

If you want to go transatlantic you need extra cover, which is quite difficult to get and is expensive.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Wotname: well, almost. The local government can't just select what laws they choose to enforce. Once they join the UN IMO/ITU as a signatory (and they all did) they MUST enforce their regulations at minimum but are allowed to add extra requirements for vessels under their nation's flag, like ATIS in parts of EU.

ciao

Ahh... that was what I was thinking but perhaps not what I was writing must be too much solvent fumes during the rebuild causing a thought / finger disconnect .

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by GMac

A NZ registered ship is NZ territory at all times. But when in another country must abide by the laws of that country. A bit like a offshore embassy but without diplomatic immunity or sanctuary. I think you'll find all registered ships are the same no matter which country they are registered in.

Of course you must abide by the laws of that country. But for visiting boats, the equipment and systems aboard only need to meet the International requirements, not any extra local requirements. I will give an example (I am not up to date on the International requirements of today so it might be a bad example but it shows what I mean): In the US you must have a notice sticker aboard that shows the do's/don'ts with garbage. We have that one because Jedi was US registered with the previous owner. Boats from other nations don't have that sticker and will not be fined for not having it. But they must follow the local rules for garbage disposal.

In the US your VHF must have US channels, like 22A (I think). But boats that are registered elsewhere are only required to have the International channels plus any that their nation requires. They do not need to buy a new VHF when they enter US waters (but most radio's can be switched to US nowadays, I know ;-)

So in short: a boat that visits the US and which is registered outside the US, must be equipped according to the International requirements, plus any additions that the nation of their registry came up with; not with additions that the US came up with. And this works the same with all other nations that signed these International agreements.

I think it is interesting to look at a different angle to this: distress signals for US boats must meet USCG spec's right? But when you enter International waters, are these signals still good enough or are you required to have SOLAS signals instead? (USCG requirements are often less strict than International ones, like the signals, life vests etc.) When you have a flare gun and enter Holland, what happens? These aren't allowed in Holland but if they take it from you, you are left without distress signals. I saw that happening in Bonaire. It is the reason we are switching to SOLAS hand-launched signals instead.

I don't know the answers to these questions, may be someone here does?

cheers,
Nick.