27 May 2014
Maritime users are being encouraged to register their vessels and equipment as part of Jersey Coastguard's annual Safety @ Sea campaign.
The Coastguard Safety Identification Scheme (C-SIS) allows equipment usually exempt from vessel registry to be voluntarily recorded with Jersey Coastguard so that owners can be contacted if their water equipment is found adrift or abandoned. Craft eligible for this scheme include kayaks, canoes, tenders, wind surfs, surfboards, kite surfing boards and paddle boards.
Jersey Coastguard and Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) Manager, Russell Mathew, said “In 2013 over 30 watercraft were found abandoned along Jersey’s coastline and on each occasion this involved us working closely with other emergency services to locate the owner and determine if a Search and Rescue response was required, taking up valuable time and resources. However, by introducing this free registration scheme we hope to encourage watercraft owners to take the necessary action to ensure that should their craft be found abandoned they can quickly and easily be reunited."
Anyone who registers will be given a highly visible registration sticker to display on their equipment as well as a unique registration number for future identification. All personal contact details provided by the owner will only be held by Jersey Coastguard and not passed onto any other agency.
So far more than 40 people have registered since the scheme was launched during the Barclays Jersey Boat Show earlier this month. Registration is quick and easy and can be completed online.
Vessels registered under the Harbours (Inshore Safety) (Jersey) Regulations 2012 or those designed or capable of a maximum speed in excess of 12 knots are not eligible for this scheme, neither are craft with a length of three metres or more unless manually propelled.
gov.je