Fishing vessels must use AIS - don’t risk a collision
All UK registered fishing vessels of 15 metres and above length overall must be fitted with Automated Identification System (AIS) to IMO standard.
AIS is a valuable aid to navigation, helping to keep the vessel and crew safe. AIS shall remain on and must be operational at all times. It is an offence to switch off reporting while operating and the regulations which set out this requirement for fishing vessels are the Merchant Shipping (Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements) (Amendment) Regulations 2011. Find out more information here.
On 5 July 2019, a UK fishing vessel was involved in a collision with another vessel in the English Channel. A contributing factor was that the fishing vessel was not transmitting on AIS, so was not picked up by the other vessel in respect of course, speed and distance off.
In January 2020, the skipper of the fishing vessel was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment (suspended) for not transmitting the AIS. Other near misses have been reported and the MCA is urging fishermen to be clear about the regulations in force concerning equipment designed to save lives.
Neil Cunningham, Head of Maritime Enforcement at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, commented: “Transmitting on AIS is mandatory in the UK for all fishing vessels of 15 metres or more, length overall. AIS for commercial vessels is required as part of our maritime safety regime in the UK and this technology has helped to reduce accidents. The MCA’s Maritime Investigations Team will look to take positive action on every report of non-compliance.”
Image credit: Geoffrey Lee, Planefocus
AIS is a valuable aid to navigation, helping to keep the vessel and crew safe. AIS shall remain on and must be operational at all times. It is an offence to switch off reporting while operating and the regulations which set out this requirement for fishing vessels are the Merchant Shipping (Vessel Traffic Monitoring and Reporting Requirements) (Amendment) Regulations 2011. Find out more information here.
On 5 July 2019, a UK fishing vessel was involved in a collision with another vessel in the English Channel. A contributing factor was that the fishing vessel was not transmitting on AIS, so was not picked up by the other vessel in respect of course, speed and distance off.
In January 2020, the skipper of the fishing vessel was sentenced to 26 weeks imprisonment (suspended) for not transmitting the AIS. Other near misses have been reported and the MCA is urging fishermen to be clear about the regulations in force concerning equipment designed to save lives.
Neil Cunningham, Head of Maritime Enforcement at the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, commented: “Transmitting on AIS is mandatory in the UK for all fishing vessels of 15 metres or more, length overall. AIS for commercial vessels is required as part of our maritime safety regime in the UK and this technology has helped to reduce accidents. The MCA’s Maritime Investigations Team will look to take positive action on every report of non-compliance.”
Image credit: Geoffrey Lee, Planefocus
.png)
Comments
Post a Comment