Customs detains over 100 vessels at the Moorings for non-compliance

Her Majesty’s Customs has detained more than one hundred vessels at The Moorings for lack of compliance with government regulations; stating that the charter company was given ample time and extended lenience to get its vessels compliant with regulations.

Yesterday afternoon, officers from Customs and Virgin Island Shipping Registry (VISR) conducted checks on vessels docked at The Moorings to ensure they had a commercial license, safety certificates, and insurance.

Speaking with ZBVI, Senior Customs Officer Sassoon Fahie said non-compliant vessels will be detained until they comply.

She said The Moorings is one of the territory’s largest charter companies and it possesses one of the largest fleets of boats. However, Fahie also said many of its boats have not met Customs’ policy requirements to a standard that would allow them to operate or remain in the territory.

“Our regulations changed in October, and we had a lot of symposiums on what is required to operate on a commercial license and what is expected of your vessel to operate here. These symposiums Moorings attended, and they were aware of what was supposed to be done in order to meet our compliances. However, these were not met,” the Senior Customs Officer said.