Dolphin-trip speedboats to come under new Red Sea boat rules still awaiting approval

The Red Sea governorate is finalising updated rules for replacing and renewing the licences of the boats that take visitors out of Hurghada, El Gouna and the governorate's other marinas. The rules have not been signed yet.

Governor Walid El-Barqi met the committee responsible for marine activities to go through the licensing system and the replacement and renewal conditions, and told it to review the updated rules and complete the approval steps before they are signed and applied. He asked for technical standards for tourist boats that match the level of the governorate's tourism product, and for a stricter check of a boat's technical condition when its licence is renewed.

A comprehensive database of every boat operating in the governorate is also being prepared, covering the type of boat, the activity it runs, its length, its technical condition, its licence type and its technical and occupational safety data. Licensing and renewal would then be tied to whether a boat meets the technical conditions and maritime safety requirements.

Dolphin trips

The new controls extend to privately owned speedboats working on sea trips, and particularly to those running dolphin-watching excursions.

Ahmed Ghallab, director-general of the Red Sea protectorates, said the permitted operating capacity of speedboats used for dolphin watching should be set, along with clear conditions to protect marine animals and keep this kind of ecotourism sustainable. He also pressed for a dedicated database of the private boats doing those trips, which the governor directed should be prepared.

The size of the fleet

Close to 5,000 tourist boats and launches of various kinds operate in the Red Sea governorate, according to the report.

Ashraf Abadi, who manages a Red Sea dive centre, said between 1,000 and 1,200 launches sail out each day. Most trips leaving Hurghada head for Giftun island, Magawish, Abu Minqar, Shaab El-Erg and El Fanous, he said, while boats leaving El Gouna go to dive sites around the Tawila islands and at El Deir, Bayoud and Abu Nuhas.

What already applies

Licences are issued by the Maritime Safety Authority after a technical survey by a specialist committee, and run for a year or half a year depending on the length of the boat, usually between 20 and 40 metres. Separate permits from the security authorities are issued every three months, and check that passenger numbers match what the licence allows.

Mohamed Awad, the skipper of a tourist launch, said safety requirements are checked closely before sailing and a boat is not cleared to operate until its rescue and safety equipment is confirmed:

• a life jacket for every passenger
• lifebuoys and fire extinguishers
• a small inflatable "zodiac" for emergencies

The permitted load depends on the type of trip, Awad said: usually 35 to 40 passengers on pleasure trips, 20 to 25 on diving trips and 7 to 15 on the small launches used for fishing.

Boats are inspected once a year by the Maritime Safety Authority's central marine inspection administration, alongside unannounced inspection campaigns. Where breaches are found in passenger numbers, technical condition or safety requirements, the licence is withdrawn and legal steps are taken.

No date has been given for signing or applying the updated rules, and their text has not been published.