mikemcgregor
Well-Known Member
If a boat has a SSR certificate does it need a VHF licence? The new owner of my old boat is keeping it in Spain but does not have a VHF licence. I cant find any info about any requirements.
Spanish VHF licence?
- Thread starter mikemcgregor
- Start date
kashurst
Well-Known Member
I can´t say for definite but when I got boarded a few years ago by Guardia Civil they wanted to see everything. Not the sort of people you want to annoy. So new owner should have his own VHF operators licence anyway and register the VHF, radar etc with OFCOM in UK
PS does the new owner know they must have an ICC, no ICC, no insurance = no marina.
PS does the new owner know they must have an ICC, no ICC, no insurance = no marina.
mikemcgregor
Well-Known Member
They already have organised the insurance and they have previous boating experience. Don't know if they have an ICC though.
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
AFAIK
There are two points here.
1.
The boat/equipment needs to have a VHF registration (i.e. its own MMSI) - I believe that a new ownership means a new registration (new MMSI)
If it is a British registered boat (even on a British SSR), it will need to have a British VHF registration (British MMSI)
I assume that a Spanish registered boat would need to have a Spanish VHF registration.
There is no mention in the OP that the boat will be Spanish registered - if it were, that would trigger all kinds of things (Matriculation Tax etc)
If the new owner is a UK resident, then, currently, he can operate a British registered boat in Spanish waters as long as he doesn't spend more than 6 months a year on his boat.
Of course, anything can happen after the Brexit negotiations.
2.
Everyone who operates a marine VHF needs to have a licence.
If you go on a course to get a licence, they will teach you about VHF registration and the need for an MMSI etc.
There are two points here.
1.
The boat/equipment needs to have a VHF registration (i.e. its own MMSI) - I believe that a new ownership means a new registration (new MMSI)
If it is a British registered boat (even on a British SSR), it will need to have a British VHF registration (British MMSI)
I assume that a Spanish registered boat would need to have a Spanish VHF registration.
There is no mention in the OP that the boat will be Spanish registered - if it were, that would trigger all kinds of things (Matriculation Tax etc)
If the new owner is a UK resident, then, currently, he can operate a British registered boat in Spanish waters as long as he doesn't spend more than 6 months a year on his boat.
Of course, anything can happen after the Brexit negotiations.
2.
Everyone who operates a marine VHF needs to have a licence.
If you go on a course to get a licence, they will teach you about VHF registration and the need for an MMSI etc.
Last edited:
Steve Clayton
Well-Known Member
Get a copy of your insurance in Spanish
Bigplumbs
Well-Known Member
MMSI applies to DSC radios but mainly older radios are not DSC. Do you know which the one in a question is.
There is some very useful help on Ofcoms website
Dennis
There is some very useful help on Ofcoms website
Dennis
mikemcgregor
Well-Known Member
Thanks for your replies.
The radio is a DSC type.
Copy of insurance will be in Spanish.
Looks like new owner will need to take a VHF course
Boat is SSR registered and will remain in Spain.
Will advise new owner to make sure all documents are in order as no doubt post Brexit there may well be a clamp down on all UK flagged boats!
The radio is a DSC type.
Copy of insurance will be in Spanish.
Looks like new owner will need to take a VHF course
Boat is SSR registered and will remain in Spain.
Will advise new owner to make sure all documents are in order as no doubt post Brexit there may well be a clamp down on all UK flagged boats!
Jim@sea
Well-Known Member
When I went to hire a boat in Spain I noticed that it had not got a VHF, apparently they use Mobile Phones.
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Yes - it is advisable to have a Spanish translation of your insurance policy.
However, I've never been asked for it in Spanish - whenever I'm asked I just hand over the English one and they are happy.
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
IMO, you still need a registration/licence
pan
Well-Known Member
Never been asked to show my VHF licence in 35 years of Med boating.... frankly it seems like 80% haven't a clue on correct proceedure as taught in the UK. Nobody seems to care!
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Agreed
But that doesn't mean you shouldn't go on a course/have a licence.
Without the training/knowledge, people don't seem to know that they even need a licence (boat or personal)
vas
Well-Known Member
fwiw (not much since I'm talking about Greece here) they also need a proper VHF licence here (together with the MMSI et al)
They don't care if your VHF is non DSC though, which I find amusing!
What I didn't find amusing is the fact that if you don't have a VHF licence the fine is 600euro, bleeding thieves!
So anyone crossing our waters, beware!
cheers
V.
Portofino
Well-Known Member
As a novice a decade ago -starting off with a Sunseeker from Sunseeker straight to the med ,they suggested / mentioned VHF training .
We organised a chap to come our house and he spent about 2 hours on a " course " on the dining room table .
He said wife may as well sit in as cos we both really ought have a VHF cert incase
1- something happens to me
2- I,am not on the boat ie tender ashore for crossiant -so there's some one left on board with the cert .
Of couses she,s never used the VHF but we both have valid VHF Certs for jobs worth .
We just tip out a folder with all this stuff in when bordered - looks good -never really quite sure what exactly they are looking for .
We organised a chap to come our house and he spent about 2 hours on a " course " on the dining room table .
He said wife may as well sit in as cos we both really ought have a VHF cert incase
1- something happens to me
2- I,am not on the boat ie tender ashore for crossiant -so there's some one left on board with the cert .
Of couses she,s never used the VHF but we both have valid VHF Certs for jobs worth .
We just tip out a folder with all this stuff in when bordered - looks good -never really quite sure what exactly they are looking for .
prv
Well-Known Member
The boat needs a new station license, because the license is granted to a person and the old licensee no longer controls the station. However, the new license can (and should) be associated with the existing MMSI because it's still the same station. Just a different person is now in charge of it.
Strictly speaking, what you're calling the "registration" is in fact the license, and what you're calling a "license" is actually an operator's certificate of competence. It's a term of the station license that only people with a certificate may use the set (except under close supervision, emergency, etc).
What this means in practice for a UK boat is that you need to fill in the free Ofcom web form, make sure you provide the existing MMSI, you don't need to send the radio back to the dealer to have the number changed, and you need to have done the "VHF course".
I've no idea about the Spanish angle though.
Pete
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Agreed - I used that terminology to avoid confusion over the word Licence.
You are absolutely correct.
For Spain
As long as the boat is British registered, you do everything that you would do the the UK.
So, I have a DSC Operators Licence (Certificate of Competence) and the boat has an OFCOM Licence with a UK MMSI number.
Being in Spain, makes no difference.
In fact all my EPIRBs and PLBs etc are all on the same British register.
If we were to call for help using our EPIRB, it would be Falmouth Coastguard who would raise the alarm - wherever we were in the world.
BTW - I think that OFCOM will allocate a new MMSI to a new owner of the same boat - thats what happened to me and what is happening to a friend of mine at the moment.
kennyh
Well-Known Member
When applying for a ships licence on the OFCOM site you can provide the existing MMSI and have the ownership transferred to the new owner.
Also, getting it transferred means that you don't have to get the VHF MMSI re-programmed which can involve sending to a dealer to do (which of course costs and takes time).
Also, getting it transferred means that you don't have to get the VHF MMSI re-programmed which can involve sending to a dealer to do (which of course costs and takes time).
[70521]
Well-Known Member
Their problem not yours. Make sure you revoke everything.
Bigplumbs
Well-Known Member
Yes but I think the guy is trying to be helpful to the new owner
Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Thats interesting - as you say it would save a whole lot of reprogramming.
My friend with the current problem bought a French boat with a French MMSI so he does need a new British one and have to go through the pain of reprogramming his VHF and his AIS transponder
