It can seem like vessel documentation is specifically made just to be confusing. Some of the terms can be hard to parse at best. One we get quite a few questions about is “MARAD Waiver” This isn’t a form of documentation that every single vessel owner will have to be concerned with. However, if you qualify for this documentation, then you will absolutely need it. At Vessel Documentation Online, we do everything we can to give vessel owners all of the documentation forms they need. When you need this waiver, we’re the place to get it from.
MARAD Waiver Made Simple
Some vessel owners want to bring their vessels from a foreign land to do business in America. Often, this isn’t “big business” per se, but rather somewhat limited commercial passenger operations. If you look at the different forms of documentation we have, this is rather expressly prohibited. It’s prohibited, of course, unless you get one of these waivers. This waiver makes it possible for some vessels that have been built in another country, as well as some vessels that have no documentation of any kind, to do some limited business here in America. Again, this isn’t the kind of form that’s going to be necessary for every vessel owner, but the ones who do qualify won’t be able to legally do business without it.
What to Know about this Waiver
First off, this waiver doesn’t allow really new boats. You can’t have a vessel that just got completed qualify for one of these. The authorities are rather clear that to get one of these waivers, a vessel has to be at least three years old. On top of that, the vessel can’t be very big, either. So, if you have some sort of enormous schooner or some gigantic passenger boat, that’s not going to work. When in service, this vessel can’t have more than twelve passengers. When they said “some limited business in America,” they meant it. Additionally, even though this vessel can be built in a foreign country, it cannot be owned by a foreigner. Indeed, to qualify, the vessel owner has to be an American citizen.
Carrying Passengers Only
You can only get this waiver to carry passengers. That’s not a rule that can be debated or negotiated around; you have to be carrying passengers with your vessel. Also, you can’t do any commercial fishing, you can’t make money towing, dredging, or perform salvage operations with this waiver. You really do have to carry passengers – indeed, you can’t even carry cargo. You can, however, do some recreational fishing. If you get this waiver and let your twelve passengers do some fishing, that’s acceptable. However, you can’t sell the fish. If they want to do a bit of recreational fishing to get a souvenir, that’s OK.
All of Your Qs Answered
We understand that this might all be a bit confusing. We’re glad to answer any questions you might have about this form of documentation or others. Simply give us a call at (866) 981-8783.