(a) An owner or operator of a vessel used to transport a pilot licensed under the provisions of section 15-13 for the purpose of embarking or disembarking another vessel in open and unprotected waters shall obtain a certificate of insurance from an insurance carrier based on a survey conducted and documented by a qualified marine surveyor. Marine surveyors shall be guided by applicable United States Coast Guard regulations, if any, and standards set by insurance companies for the insurability of such vessel. All existing regulations of the Department of Transportation that specify procedures for embarkation and disembarkation of pilots and the operation of and equipment required on each such vessel, shall become duly adopted written procedures of the Connecticut Port Authority, effective July 1, 2016. After said date, any modification to the written procedures or additional written procedures that specify (1) the procedures for embarkation and disembarkation of pilots, and (2) the operation of and equipment required on each such vessel shall be adopted by the authority in accordance with the provisions of section 1-121. Such written procedures may establish standard rates for the use of each such vessel for such purpose. For the purposes of this subsection, “open and unprotected waters” means waters located east of the area depicted on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration charts of the eastern portion of Long Island Sound as “The Race”.

(b) Any person who fails to comply with subsection (a) of this section or any written procedures adopted thereunder shall be fined not less than five hundred dollars nor more than one thousand dollars.

(P.A. 97-304, S. 2, 31; P.A. 13-277, S. 7; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5, S. 28.)

History: P.A. 97-304 effective July 8, 1997; P.A. 13-277 amended Subsec. (a) to require vessel owner or operator to obtain certificate of insurance rather than certificate of compliance, to delete provisions re certificate of compliance regulations and to make technical changes, and amended Subsec. (b) to increase minimum fine from $60 to $500 and maximum fine from $250 for each violation to $1000; June Sp. Sess. P.A. 15-5 amended Subsec. (a) to delete provisions re adoption of regulations by Commissioner of Transportation and add provisions re existing regulations of Department of Transportation to become written procedures of Connecticut Port Authority, and amended Subsec. (b) to make a conforming change, effective July 1, 2016.