Keep boating open through coronavirus crisis, industry pleads
Boating and the marinas and service centres that support it should be classed as essential services, says boating lobbyAustralia’s recreational boating industry has pleaded with the Federal Government to keep marinas and boat service centres operating as most of the rest of the nation prepares for a shutdown.
In an open letter sent to the government, the Boating Industry Association of Australia and the Marina Industries Association said that while they supported moves to protect public health and the economy, marinas and boat servicing businesses should be classed as essential services and therefore exempt from enforced closures.
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“The justification for this is that marinas are maritime infrastructure strategically located around the nation’s coastline near population centres in metropolitan and regional areas that deliver and support a range of essential services including the response to emergencies such as threat to life and the environment (pollution),” the letter reads.
“Boat service businesses ensure that trailer boats can be serviced and repaired, and boaters have access to acquire essential safety equipment so that boating can continue to be enjoyed by the broader community.”
Essential services
According to both groups, essential services provided by marinas and boat service centres include:
- Safe storage and supervision of vessels
- Provision of fuel and the maintenance of waterside fuel delivery systems
- Service and maintenance to vessels (through waterside and specialist technical contractor workshops like mechanics, shipwrights, marine electricians etc)
- Emergency boat lift and maintenance
- Pollution response capability
- Provision of essential supplies (food and water) to vessels away from their home port
- Sewage pump-out
- Emergency medivac points
- “More than half of all marinas and clubs provide fuel for vessels including recreational, commercial and response vessels,” the letter reads.
“Sixty per cent of marinas provide boat lifting services and 54 per cent have boat repair and maintenance facilities.”
Supporting roles
The BIA and MIA also said marinas were able to perform supporting roles in an emergency, and the supervision and management of vessels within marina spaces.
They said Australia had 320 marinas and clubs providing 67,000 boat storage spaces that employed about 23,000 people mainly concentrated in coastal areas.
“These marinas are essential to be able to maintain not only the fleet of commercial and recreational vessels in marinas but provide support services to a significant percentage of Australia’s 910,000 registered vessels and the millions of Australians who enjoy boating,” the letter reads.
“Boat service businesses that provide essential mechanical, electrical and safety services as well of the sale of safety and other essential boating equipment which are required to maintain the ability of people to boat safely.”
It said boating was an activity that could be “conducted safely and consistently with the requirements of community isolation”.
Access to boats was essential “for the mental and physical wellbeing of boaters and fishers around the country”.
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