Denmark's Stricter Regulations for Vessels

 

​Today, the Danish Government has submitted a bill for consultation to increase the safety of persons involved in recreational activities at sea.

 

The bill submitted for consultation proposes to require operators of personal watercraft and powerboats to take out liability insurance in the future. It also proposes to make it easier to confiscate these types of vessels in case of insane sailing or repeated violations of the law.

 

Minister for Industry, Business and Financial Affairs Brian Mikkelsen says: "I am pleased that the Government has now presented a number of proposals to increase the safety of everyone using the sea for recreational purposes. It is important that everyone can be safe when sailing in Danish waters and ports. After the tragic accident with a personal watercraft in the Port of Copenhagen, we saw a need to introduce stricter rules for those who are sailing fast and irresponsibly."

 

Minister of Justice Søren Pape Poulsen says: "We have great focus on improving the safety related to personal watercraft in Danish ports. During the summer months, the readiness of the police in the Port of Copenhagen has been significantly strengthened. With the new measures, yet another important step has been taken to curb insane sailing in our ports."

 

As part of the Government's stringency measure, the Danish Maritime Authority has submitted for consultation rules on a new special certificate for the operation of personal watercraft. The new rules will require anyone operating a personal watercraft or similar vessels to complete both a theoretical and a practical test in the future. 

 

The purpose of the test is to ensure that operators of personal watercraft can sail them in a sound and safe manner. At the same time, the prosecuting authority is striving to ensure that fines imposed for illegal operation of personal watercraft are at an appropriate level that reflects the severity of these cases.