Skipper responsibilities
Updated 1 January 2021
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vessel-monitoring-system-devices/skipper-responsibilities
It is your responsibility, as the skipper of the vessel, to ensure that your device is operational at all times. You must make sure that:
- data is not altered
- antenna or antennas concerned are not obstructed
- power supply to the device is not interrupted
- the device is not removed from the vessel
If you don’t comply with these requirements, you could be prosecuted.
If your device stops working while you are at sea, you must give the suitable UK Fisheries Monitoring Centre (FMC) your position every 4 hours by email, telex, fax, telephone, message or radio. This is from when you detected the problem or when the UK FMC told you about it.
The suitable FMC will forward the information to the Norwegian FMC if you are in the Norwegian Economic Zone.
You must not leave a port with following a technical failure or with a broken device on board without confirming it is functioning to the satisfaction of the suitable UK FMC or before it is otherwise authorised to leave by the FMC.
You must make sure that the information held by the suitable FMC is accurate at all times.
It is your responsibility to contact Applied Satellite Technology Ltd (AST) and to make the necessary arrangements for your contract, installation date and payment.
Both the new and old owners are responsible for notifying AST when a vessel has changed ownership.