January 21, 2021
The Coast Guard issued a warning yesterday to mariners and business fisherman in regards to the risks and authorized penalties of disabling a vessel’s automated identification system.
The Coast Guard has seen an alarming enhance of economic fishing and crabbing vessels disabling their AIS, purportedly in an try and hold their fishing spots secret from competitors.
“AIS is an important software in a number of Coast Guard missions together with search and rescue and port safety,” stated Lt. Collin Gruin, boarding staff supervisor at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River. “It isn’t solely unlawful to show it off but additionally extremely harmful.”
AIS is a maritime navigation security communications system adopted by the worldwide group to assist save lives and facilitate secure transit of navigable waterways.
AIS routinely transmits vessel data to shore stations, different ships, and plane. That features vessel identification, kind, place, course, velocity, navigational standing, and safety-related data.
The regulation (33 CFR 164.46) partially states that each one self-propelled vessels, at a size of 65 ft or extra, engaged in business service and working on the territorial seas (inside 12-nautical miles of shore) should keep AIS in efficient working situation, which incorporates the continuous operation of AIS and its related units (e.g., positioning system, gyro, converters, shows) always whereas the vessel is underway or at anchor, and, if moored, at the least quarter-hour previous to getting underway.
Efficient operation situation additionally consists of the correct enter and maintenance of all AIS information fields. An AIS encoding information has been offered to facilitate complying with this requirement.
Violators of this regulation can count on to obtain a civil penalty as much as a most of $35,486 per violation.
“Crabbers might imagine that they’re defending their companies, however they’re truly making search and rescue efforts harder if an emergency occurs at sea,” stated Gruin.