A22 July 2007 FROM THE FRONT: Homeland security and megayachts
www.the-triton.com
The Triton
Port agent: Hijacking a yacht of limited benefit to terrorists COMMENTS, from page A21 regulations require. Regular users should be able to apply for exemption certificates based on competence. Foreign megayacht captain Most recent vessel 160-180 feet l
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Re: ANOA. It’s a good idea to lower the ANOA threshold from 300 to 100 tons for foreign-flagged yachts so DHS can monitor more vessel movement. Re: terrorist threats. Luxury yachts are not vulnerable to take-over by a terrorist group. The value in hijacking a luxury yacht is the value in the owner and guests being held for ransom and the resale value of the artwork aboard as well as jewelry. Re: pilots. Pilots are required in many ports. In San Diego, it is officially optional to take a pilot for any sized yacht, but payment of fees is required. This will be difficult to enforce and will be interesting to see how it develops. SFO, The Colombia River, Puget Sound and SE Alaska all have strict pilotage regulations for luxury yachts. I believe these requirements limit the number of yachts that visit those areas and in turn, limit that area’s income stream from luxury yachts, which is significant. Pilots don’t minimize a security threat; the yachts just provide more income for the local pilots associations. Re: clearing in. The logistical bottle neck that would be created from requiring quarantine docks would make things far from ideal. It’s best to allow luxury yachts to proceed directly to the marina, fuel dock or shipyard of their choice. Luxury yachts over, say, 75 feet are the lowest risk vessels with professional captain and crew. The efforts of the U.S. government should be on higher risk vessels such as those under 75 feet not run by professionals. All U.S. ports should have the same protocol in place for luxury yachts to follow. Skippers are always complaining about the lack of consistency from port to port with immigration, customs, pilotage, agriculture, USCG, etc. Former U.S. megayacht captain Currently working as a port agent
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All other countries in the world board my vessel, check documents, and check crew for eligibility, health and sanitation. They also charge a fee for the entry boarding party. Nassau in the Bahamas charges $300-350 per entry, depending upon fishing licenses, etc. The U.S. charges nothing, earns nothing, and therefore has no staff to enter vessels.
We (yachts) must enter on our honesty and go through the highly inefficient and cumbersome process of driving across town to find an open office to make entry. We must leave our $27 million yacht unmanned, so all crew can show their faces after standing in a crowded office for hours. Meanwhile, if we had other intentions, one of us could simply step out of the vehicle along the way. Who would ever know the difference? The U.S. government is lost. It doesn’t have a clue, and more legislation is not the answer. Here’s the way it should be: 1. Vessels entering port must dock at a secured dock, recognized as a port of entry. 2. No person shall leave the vessel prior to clearance. 3. One immigration and one customs official will board every vessel entering, and make the clearance onboard. 4. Agents will charge the vessel a fee for entry, $250 should cover it. Honor exemptions for local, pre-registered boaters. These are tax-paying citizens already footing the bill. Charge them $20 per entry. All funds collected will help pay for operation. When I clear into the U.S., no one asks if I have weapons, if there’s any illness, if any deaths have occurred, if I’ve declared the value of the vessel or if I’m carrying valuables other than ships stores. These are regular questions in other countries. The U.S. asks nothing and doesn’t even answer the phone when you call to make entry. Good luck in DC. Tell them the whole program is off task. I would like to take each member of the group you will meet, take them to the Bahamas and re-enter U.S. waters just once so they could actually see the task they are working on. U.S. megayacht captain, more than 20 years Current vessel 120-140 feet l
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Re: ANOAs. I don’t file electronically. I fax and follow up with a phone call. I can file electronically, but feel boats aren’t/shouldn’t be required to have the means to do so, convenient as it is. The ANOA people I’ve dealt with were fantastic, real pros. The same applies to virtually all USCG personnel I’ve had contact with over the last 30 years. ANOAs aren’t particularly effective as a screening process yet. The borders are a sieve, and anybody trying to sneak in wouldn’t advertise it by listing themselves on an ANOA. I suppose it’s a start though. All vessels arriving from outside U.S. waters need to be included. Re: terrorism threats. I do feel yachts
See COMMENTS, page A23