SAN PEDRO, Calif. — The Coast Guard terminated the voyages of two illegal charter vessels near Newport Beach and San Pedro earlier this week.
A Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach small boat crew responded to a 76-foot pleasure craft operating as an illegal charter in Newport Beach with 14 passengers aboard Monday. The crew found the following violations:
- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 176.100 (a) for not having a valid Certificate of Inspection.
- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 15.805(a)(4) for failure to have a properly licensed master on an inspected small passenger vessel.
A Coast Guard Station Los Angeles-Long Beach small boat crew responded to a 35-foot pleasure craft operating in San Pedro as an illegal charter with seven passengers aboard Tuesday. The boat crew found the following violations:
- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 176.100 (a) for not having a valid Certificate of Inspection.
- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 15.805(a)(4) for failure to have a properly licensed master on an inspected small passenger vessel.
- Violation of 46 C.F.R. 16.201 for failure to have a random drug testing program.
Captains operating vessels carrying paying passengers must hold a valid Coast Guard license, meet Coast Guard safety requirements, and have their Merchant Mariner Credential on board.
“Illegal charters pose significant danger to the public,” said Capt. Stacy Crecy, Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach commanding officer. “We strongly encourage anyone paying for a trip on a passenger vessel to request to see the operator’s Merchant Mariner Credential and, for vessels with more than six passengers, to review the certificate of inspection.”
Owners and operators of illegal charter boats can face civil penalties for illegal charters operations. Potential penalties include:
- Up to $5,844 for not having a valid Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection for vessels carrying more than six passengers as per 46 U.S.C. 3318(j).
- Up to $23,048 for failure to operate a passenger vessel without a Coast Guard license as per 46 U.S.C. 8101(g).
- Up to $19,950 for operating a coastwise trade without appropriate Certificate of Documentation endorsement as per 46 U.S.C. 12151(a)(1).
- Up to $9,380 for failure to have a random drug testing program as per 46 U.S.C. 2115
For additional recreational boating safety information, please visit the Coast Guard’s Boating Safety Division (CG-BSX-2) at https://www.uscgboating.org.
For questions regarding passenger-for-hire regulations, please contact the Sector LA/LB Investigations Division at (310) 521-3770 or email at SECLALB@uscg.mil.
Please report any illegal charter operations to the Coast Guard Sector LA/LB Command Center at (310) 521-3801 or LALBCOMMANDCENTER@uscg.mil.
Any further questions, please contact the Coast Guard District 11 Prevention, Inspections and
Investigations office by email to D11-SMB-DPI@uscg.mil.