BOATING LEGISLATION IN PORTUGAL
Application of Local
Legislation to Visiting Yachtsmen &=
nbsp; &=
nbsp; (as
at 20 November 2011)=
It has long been =
normal
practice for the enforcement agency in Portugal - Polícia
Marítima– not to apply the letter of the law to genuine visito=
rs, as
most maritime nations apply a “quid-pro-quo” approach to other
nations’ vessels. Howev=
er, since
2011, there has been greatly increased activity by Polícia
Marítima -and also the Patrol Boats of the Mar&=
iacute;nha
(Portuguese Navy), and the rules ARE now being
enforced on all.
If you are here l=
ong-term,
then you are well advised not to argue the point or get on your “high
horse” about out-of-date flares etc.=
If you try to push the point, you could be forced to change your boa=
t to
Portuguese Registration.
More-over, if you have a serious incident or breakdown and require t=
he
lifeboat service to tow you in, your yacht will probably be declared
“unseaworthy” and you may be required to meet the full Portugue=
se
standards before you are allowed to sail. (Yes, both have happened.)
The
Categories
Most of the local=
rules
and requirements for equipment are common sense and will be familiar to any=
one
who has used the RORC standards. However,
these standards have the full authority of the Portuguese legal system and =
the
Polícia Marítima and/or the Navy can and do enforce them. In Portugal, requirements are laid=
down
for 5 broad categories of yachts and yachting:-
|
Category |
One |
Two |
Three |
Four |
Five |
|
Title |
Ocean |
Offshore |
Coastal |
Coastal (R) (restrict=
ed) |
Inland; Sheltered wat=
ers |
|
Distance Offshore? |
Any |
< 200 nm |
To 25 nm |
To 6 nm |
Estuary, river, coast=
al |
|
Distance to Safe Have=
n? |
Any |
Any |
< 60 nm |
< 20 nm |
< 3 nm |
If you sailed to Portugal, you will be deemed to be=
in
the “Ocean” category, unless you can prove otherwise. =
For
example, you may have used a delivery crew and now intend only to coastal s=
ail. If you are over-equipped for the
category you claim now to be in, any extra equipment carried, MUST also be =
in
date.
Details of the
requirements for each of these categories can be found summarized (in
Portuguese) on the local Cruising Association (ANC) web site. They are also printed in a very ha=
ndy
Portuguese/English hand book, “Skipperslog”, available free from
the Marina; unfortunately, some of the translations in it are not entirely
accurate. Our notes are based=
on
our interpretation of these 2 publications and have been simplified to show=
the
main requirements for cruising yachts.&nbs=
p;
For details of the First Aid Kits, please see the relevant legislati=
on;
I have not (YET) heard of any kit being examined in detail.
Note
that the legal position depends entirely on the original legislation, in the
Portuguese language.
Table of Portuguese Legal Requirements
|
Category ( See above) |
One |
Two |
Three |
Four |
Five |
|
Title |
Ocean |
Offshore |
Coastal |
Coastal - R |
Inland |
|
Safety |
|||||
|
Bilge pumps |
2 (1 Man) |
2 (1 Man) |
2 (1 Man) |
2 (1 Man) |
1 (Bailer) |
|
Fire Extinguisher - 2=
Kg
* &nbs=
p; &=
nbsp;
-1 Kg # |
1 * 1 or 2 # |
1 * 1 or 2 # |
1 * 1 or 2 # |
1 * 1 or 2 # |
1 * 1 |
|
Note: Fire Extinguish=
ers
cannot be Halon or CO2. * The 2kg is a fixed,
automatic extinguisher in the engine space. # If the galley is separate from=
the
saloon, each requires a 1kg extinguisher. |
|||||
|
Flares -
Parachute &nbs=
p;
- Hand-held Red &nbs=
p;
- Smoke |
6 4 2 |
4 4 1 |
3 3 1 |
2 2 1 |
0 2 ( if at sea) 0 |
|
Life buoys (LOA 5-9m)=
&nbs=
p;
(LOA 9-15m) ADD (LOA 15-24m) ADD |
1 + 30m line 1 + light 2 either |
1 + 30m line 1 + light 2 either |
1 + 30m line 1 + light 2 either |
1 + 30m line 1 + light 2 either |
1 + 30m line 1 + light 2 either |
|
Life Jackets |
1/person |
1/person |
1/person |
1/person |
1/person |
|
Life-line /Harness/Ho=
oks |
3 |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
|
Life raft (For all cr=
ew) |
1 |
1 |
1 |
Or tender |
0 |
|
Life raft, auto-relea=
se |
>15m? Yes |
>15m? Yes |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Thermal Protection (TPA) |
3 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
Navigation |
|||||
|
Compass; Magnetic |
1(Dev < 5º) |
1(Dev < 5º) |
1(Dev <5º) |
1 |
1 |
|
Compass; Hand Bearing |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
|
Charts; Pilots. (Current area, updated & accurate) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Electronic Aids |
|||||
|
EPIRB 406 or Inmarsat |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes or 121.5 |
No |
No |
|
Radar Reflector |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Receiver; Navtex/Inmarsat |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Receiver; HF |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
VHF Fixed (DSC type)<= o:p> |
Yes (B; D) |
Yes (B; D) |
Yes (B; D) |
Yes(B;D;F) |
No |
|
VHF Portable |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
|
Berthing/General |
|||||
|
Anchor |
2 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
|
Boarding Ladder |
Yes, if F/bd >
0.5m |
Yes, if F/bd > 0.5m |
Yes, if F/bd > 0.5m |
Yes, if F/bd > 0.5m |
Yes, if F/bd > 0.5m |
|
First aid kit (See ru=
les) |
Kit A |
Kit A |
Kit B |
Kit B |
Kit C |
|
Horn/Bell |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Mooring, Towing Warps=
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Round-end knife; |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Signalling mirror |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
Spare navigation bulb=
s |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
|
Tender |
No |
No |
No |
Yes if no l/raft |
No |
|
Torch, batteries, spa=
res |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |