JUNE 2017 • FOGHORN 31 COAST GUARD SAFETY ALERT from a smartphone app and common examples include: water-taxis, offshore fishing, sight-seeing, water sports, burial-at-sea services, whale watching, sunset/dinner cruises, diving charters, corporate/school functions, movie shoots, and special events like Christmas boat parades, sailing regattas, and firework shows. What makes these types of services fall under federal requirements as com- mercial vessel services is whether or not one of the passengers paid a fee for the service provided. More specifically, whenever consideration is contributed as a condition of carriage on the vessel and that consideration (i.e., payment) directly or indirectly flows to the owner, operator, agent or any other person who has a fiscal interest in the vessel, the transaction results in the excursion becoming a commercial service. There are exceptions related to bareboat charters, but a charter agreement would have to be in place and the charterer would have to be given full control of the vessel including the choice of who would serve as the operator/master. The many safety requirements for UPVs relate to licensing, watch standing, vessel documentation, mandatory drug testing regime, casualty reporting, required charts and electronic equivalencies, navigation lights and sound signals, life saving and firefighting equipment, safety ori- entation and instruction, and pollution prevention. All of these different items build a “safety net” that goes well beyond the knowledge of an average boat operator and the basic safety equipment found on a typical recre- ational boat. The Coast Guard strongly urges potential customers to be mindful of the dangers of using unauthorized boat operators. For your safety and the safety of others, please ensure that your boat operators are credentialed by the U.S. Coast Guard and are operating vessels with the required safety equipment aboard. n This safety alert was developed by the Office of Investigations and Casualty Analysis. Any questions or comments should be sent to: HQS-PF-fldr-CG-INV@uscg.mil.