Warning to Vic boaters

The BIAV has issued an urgent warning to Victorian recreational vessel operators that the Marine Safety Act 2010 contains a new definition of waters now prohibited to recreational vessel anchoring.

"Recreational vessel operators need to be aware that they are now prohibited from anchoring in any channel, anchorage, fairway or navigable waters that are usually used by vessels over 50m in length for navigationthrough an area,"said BIAV President Andrew Warner.

"The really unjust part of this is that these newly prohibited areas are not necessarily marked by navigation beacons and only some are clearly marked on navigation charts.

"Transport Safety Victoria and Port of Melbourne websites are still promoting that it’s not an offence for recreational vessel operators to anchor in these newly prohibited areas.

"Advice from the Minster for Ports, Hon Denis Napthine is that the new situation is an oversight causing unintended consequences but that recreational boat operators will continue to be subject to heavy penalty infringements in the new prohibited anchoring areas.

"This situation is intolerable with the snapper and summer boating season already underway and is made more so by the Victorian Coalition Government’s refusal to publicly warn recreational vessel operators of the new prohibited anchoring areas," said Andrew Warner.

The BIAV now calls on the Victorian Coalition Government to publicly clarify the situation and detail how this unfair oversight is being remedied, immediately halt the fining of recreational boaters in new areas prohibited to anchoring and to require Transport Safety Victoria and Port of Melbourne Corporation to issue interim statements on their websites that correctly inform recreational vessel operators of the new areas prohibited to anchor.

For more information go to: www.biavic.com.au