Singapore pleasure craft rules changed

Wow! Can we look forward to bringing more people to our shores?

Singapore pleasure craft rules changed
Oh Boon Ping, Business Times 27 May 08;

IT USED to be that pleasure craft operating in port waters could carry no more than 12 passengers unless registered as a passenger ship that complied with the safety requirements of the Merchant Shipping Act. Not any more.

The change came after boat dealership Peninsula Boating appealed to the Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP) for a change in the rules. The company's founder James Purves felt the legislation needed to be updated. In his application, he said: 'Normally, a pleasure craft is designed to carry between eight and 24 people, depending on its size. Those restrictions on the number of people on a boat prevents charter operators from realising the economies of scale by purchasing bigger boats.'

Mr Purves suggested the rules be changed to 'allow a vessel to carry the number of persons it is designed to carry, as this flexibility means that operators/users can make commercial economies of scale and their expensive vessels will be more marketable.'

The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) assessed the situation and revised the regulation so pleasure craft carrying more than 12 passengers need no longer be considered passenger ships under the Merchant Shipping Act.

'With this amendment there is no compromise on safety, as all pleasure craft are still subject to annual inspection and certification requirements,' the MPA said in a statement. For example: 'The pleasure craft must obtain a licence issued by MPA to indicate the number of passengers it can carry.'

Before a licence is issued, a craft is inspected to ensure it is seaworthy and that life-saving appliances are sufficient for the number of passengers it can carry. The craft must also be inspected once a year to maintain the validity of the licence. The number of passengers it can carry will depend on boat size, provided the craft is used solely for pleasure purposes.

Businesses that wish to make a suggestion to the PEP on how to cut red tape can do so at www.pep.gov.sg. The panel was set up in 2000 to solicit feedback from businesses on how government rules and regulations can be improved to create a more pro-enterprise environment. The PEP is chaired by Civil Service Head Peter Ho and comprises mainly private sector business leaders.

The Pro-Enterprise Panel (PEP) was established in 2000 to actively solicit feedback from businesses on how government rules and regulations can be improved to create a more pro-enterprise environment in Singapore. The PEP is chaired by the Head of Civil Service, Peter Ho, and comprises mainly business leaders from the private sector.