Section 94 of the Public Health Acts Amendment Act 1907 empowers the City Council to “grant upon such terms and conditions as they may think fit licences for pleasure boats and pleasure vessels to be let for hire or to be used for carrying passengers for hire, and persons in charge of or navigating such boats and vessels”.
What is the effect of this?
Any vessel which is available for hire carrying no more than 12 passengers within category C or D waters must be licensed by the local authority within whose area the vessel is based. Likewise, persons acting a boatmen on such vessels must be licensed as such.
Category C waters are those in Southampton Water north of Calshot and category D waters are those in the Solent within lines between Hurst Point to the Needles in the west and between West Wittering church to Bembridge church in the east.
Licences
On first application for a licence you will be required to prove your competence to act as a boatman, in line with the MCA’s “Inland Waters Small Passenger Boat Code”. Details appear in the application form. In all cases, the applicant will be required to visit the VTS Centre at Berth 37, Eastern Docks, Southampton and to prove their competence as a boatman to the satisfaction of the city council through their appointed agent, Associated British Ports' harbour master
Application Forms and Further Information
Application forms, further information and details of the fees appear below.
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