5:20 AM Thu 19 Nov 2009 GMT
NSW Maritime checked almost 800 boats during Operation Lights On last weekend, according to General Manager Recreational Boating Brett Moore. Mr Moore said NSW Maritime Boating Safety Officers were out in force on waters statewide in a safety compliance and education campaign.
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"On the spot safety checks were carried out on a total of 785 boats across NSW, with a focus on navigation lights," he said.
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"There was an excellent compliance result in Sydney with only one from 161 vessels failing the check for navigation lights. This compared with 13 failures from 187 checks on the North Coast and 6 failures from 145 checks on the South Coast, which is a disappointing result."
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Mr Moore said it was the responsibility of every skipper to ensure their boat has the appropriate lights at night, or at times of reduced visibility.
Other safety equipment was also checked and in total NSW Maritime found 92 vessels failed to comply with the general safety requirements.
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"Safe and responsible boating is the key to an enjoyable time out on our waterways but it seems not everyone is getting the message," Mr Moore said.
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In NSW there are now more than 222,000 registered powerboats and majority are runabouts. At night the typical runabout must show a port (red), starboard (green) and a white light that is visible for 360 degrees.
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This configuration of lights indicates not only the position of a vessel but its direction and this assists all skippers in the area to navigate safely. Unlike vehicle headlights which light up the way ahead, the lights on a boat indicate position and direction and are based on a long-standing, internationally recognised navigation system.
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Mr Moore said a total of 48 on-the-spot fines and 44 formal warnings were issued for a range of non compliance issues, including lights. A summary of fines and formal warnings is as follows:
North Coast - 13 fines and 17 warnings
Hunter Inland - 3 fines and 4 warnings
Hawkesbury River Broken Bay - 2 fines and 2 warnings
Sydney - 14 fines and 2 warnings
South Coast - 1 fine and 13 warnings
Murray Inland - 15 fines and 6 warnings
For more information go to
maritime.nsw.gov.au
by Neil Patchett
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Macquarie Island, TAS
