Italy banes the ICP

[Lorrendraaier]

The last few months both Italian yacht owners with an ICP, as well as other EU nationals with an International Certificate for Pleasure crafts were undergoing discomfort in Italy, to put it mildly.

In short the Guardia di Finanza intensified the inspection of vessel registered under an ICP. In some cases yacht owners were fined, because they were commercially exploiting the vessel, which is not permitted. In other cases yachts were confiscated by Guardia di Finanza until the owner registered the vessel in an official ships registrar.

This means that ICP holders with an Italian homeport are strongly advised to register their vessel either in the Italian ships registrar or in another official (European) ships registrar. Non-Italians visiting the country, are also advised to register else ware, as the Guardia di Finanza does not discriminate and will confiscate the vessel…..without blinking!

 

[MapisM]

I never heard of anything like that, neither in the last few months nor in my 30+ years of boating in Italian waters.

I see that you are NL based, which makes me wonder: aren't you possibly referring to NL flagged vessels (regardless of their helmsmen), several of which were found lately to not have any internationally recognised registration, but just some sort of NL-specific private club registration?

Of course an illegal commercial use of a vessel can also be a reason for seizing the boat, but that's nothing new under the sun, and it's always true regardless of the boat flag and the helmsman license.

 

[duncan99210]

If the ICP referred to is the on described in this post What is an International Certificate Pleasure Craft (ICP)? then it’s not too surprising that the Italians are clamping down on it. According to posts (possibly by the OP, who shares an online name with posts on the link) the ICP is mainly aimed at inland waterways based craft and is not an official register. No idea why you’d opt for an ICP rather than a proper official registration especially seeing as it is pretty simple get onto one or other of the UK official registers.

 

[Lorrendraaier]

@MapisM This does relate to the ICP, which is issued by the Watersportverbond in the Netherlands. The ICP is an unofficial form of registration which is only meant for navigating inland and coastal waters of the EU. The reason why the ICP was so popular, was because it was relatively cheap and easy to obtain for all EU nationals or non-EU nationals with a permanent EU residence permit.

 

[Graham376]

Are the Italians also clamping down on DYR unofficial registration, as the Portuguese have done? Dutch Yacht Registration €299 EUR | VALID IN ALL EU WATERS

 

[Lorrendraaier]

@Graham376 That specific registration offered by Dutch Yacht Registrations is an ICP. It is exactly the same as offered by Yacht Registration Holland, who sells it as an 'EU ICP Light Registration'. Different names, same product.

 

[Roberto]

The story began in early 2019: one Dutch flag NGO migrant ship approached Italy with a number of migrants, the then Italian govt said "Dutch ship, bring the migrants to Holland" .
The ship was registered under the ICP, the Dutch govt pointed out that that document did not give any grant to fly the Dutch flag; under international maritime law the ship was without flag.
Shortly after, the ICP certificates were issued with the writing "Does non entitle to fly the Dutch flag".

 

[Irish Rover]

They'll have plenty of targets. The Irish Sailing Association were issuing unofficial registrations for years. What about the thousands of boats with Delaware registration which, of course, is not a valid international registration?

 

[laika]

My boat is part 1 registered but if there's an "International Certificate for Pleasure" I think I need one

If it's an International Certificate for Please Craft why isn't it an ICPC?

 

[Lorrendraaier]

For those interested an investigative documentary was aired here in the Netherlands, on the whole issue. They even uncovered the abuse of the ICP by drug smugglers.
In the mean time Spain also announced that they no longer accept ICP's.

For more information and a link to the documentary, which you can be watched with subtitles in your own language : Italy bans the ICP, the TV documentary >>

 

[Roberto]

Ten boats under ICP have just been legally seized by Italian authorities, in Sardinia

Cagliari, sequestrate 10 barche con finta bandiera olandese - L'Unione Sarda.it

 

[MapisM]

Ten boats under ICP have just been legally seized by Italian authorities, in Sardinia

It would actually be more correct to say "Ten nationless vessels have just been legally seized...".
The fact that they had an ICP is irrelevant.
The fact that they were NOT entitled to fly the NL flag (hence they were nationless) is!

 

[Spirit (of Glenans)]

They'll have plenty of targets. The Irish Sailing Association were issuing unofficial registrations for years. What about the thousands of boats with Delaware registration which, of course, is not a valid international registration?

A lot of motor boats (and some sailing ones) were bought for cash during the building boom of the early'70s. Their owners spurned any kind of registration for fear that Revenue would find out about their untaxed profits.

 

[Irish Rover]

A lot of motor boats (and some sailing ones) were bought for cash during the building boom of the early'70s. Their owners spurned any kind of registration for fear that Revenue would find out about their untaxed profits.

Maybe so but the main reason Irish boats were registered unofficially through the ISA was the absence of a small ships type registration in Ireland. The procedure for a 7M mobo or sailing yacht is the same as for a super-tanker. The authorities knew about the ISA scheme and it suited them to turn a blind eye as it calmed calls for a separate registration scheme for leisure craft. The government only stopped the ISA issuing registrations relatively recently but there's still no sign of an official replacement scheme. I believe the ISA are still issuing replacement certificates to cover changes of ownership, name changes etc for boats that already have ISA papers.