License to be Made Mandatory for Boat Driving

A new law that will make licenses mandatory for driving all types of boats, is underway.

“All boats whether big or small, or speedboats will have to be registered with the Coast Guard... The new law will be quite similar to the road traffic law. Nobody will be able to drive a boat without licence. There is also going to be yearly investigation by the Coast Guard Department and we will check if there are cracks in a boat or if there is a fault in the engine,” Brigadier Ali Ahmed Al Bedeed, Director of Coasts and Borders Security Department, said at a press briefing held at the Coast Guard headquarters yesterday.

At present, individuals are only required to register their boats, not needing a license to drive them.

The new law will commission the Ministry of Interior’s Coasts and Border Security Department to issue licenses, and will include a boat driving exam.

"It’s not going to be difficult to get this license but we just want people to understand basic navigation as part of their safety."

Image: rnbking2004