Speed Restriction Withdrawn

The federal government has withdrawn its proposed 10-knot vessel speed rule for boats 35 feet and larger along the East Coast. The announcement was published today in the Federal Register.

 

"This is great news for the marine and fishing industries," said Viking Yacht Company President and CEO Pat Healey. "We all worked together to stop this government overreach and safeguard our rights to the ocean. This will not alter our goal to protect boaters and the whales through technology.”

Viking has fought the proposal since August of 2022 while facilitating solutions through marine electronics, modeling, outreach and advanced technologies to reduce vessel strike risk. Above: Pat kicks off a special press conference and industry briefing about the proposal at the 2022 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The rule would have had a devastating economic impact on the industry.

The highly flawed rule – proposed without engagement with the marine industry – would have been the most consequential maritime regulation ever imposed on the recreational boating and fishing community. It called for broadening the current 10-knot (11.5-mph) restriction to boats 35 feet and larger (down from 65 feet); expanding slows zones to virtually the entire coastline as far out as 90 miles; and extending a go-slow mandate for up to seven months of the year. Click here for map.

“We still have work to do with the speed restriction that’s in place now,” added Pat. “We will continue to push the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to have the current 10-knot limit for boats 65 feet (LOA) and larger amended so that technology-based solutions can replace these speed limits, which have been in place since 2008 but not enforced until 2022."

“We don’t see this as a completely resolved issue,” said John DePersenaire, Viking’s Director of Government Affairs and Sustainability. “We will keep advancing the technology and partnering with NOAA on outreach and education.”  

VIKING YACHT COMPANY | VIKINGYACHTS.COM
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