Tobago House Assembly to enforce jet ski ban along South West Peninsula

The Tobago House of Assembly has announced that it wants to ban the use of jet skis in the area comprising the island’s South West Peninsula. This includes Store Bay, Mount Irvine, Pigeon Point and Buccoo/Plymouth.



John Stickland, operations director at Store Bay Marine Services, who has campaigned for jet skis to be properly regulated for over 12 months, said: “We welcome this news. It is something we've pushed for over the last year; jet ski operators continually use the anchorage here at Store Bay without much regard to safety or rules of the road. This has resulted in problems of wake and in some cases, a jet ski running into a yacht.”

Store Bay Marine Services has been in contact with the island's Attorney General, along with the Fisheries and Tourism departments over the problem with jet skis.

The Deputy Chief Secretary of the Tobago House Assembly, Hilton Sandy has publicly stated that the Assembly was compelled to implement the drastic measure in the face of continued resistance to repeated warnings from the authorities over the years: “What we are going to do is police the area, to ensure jet skis do not operate their craft in the area. Should they enter the water, action will be taken to confiscate the equipment.”

The Tobago House of Assembly’s ‘Environment Police’, who are attached to the Division of Agriculture, Marine Affairs, Marketing and the Environment, will enforce the ban. Three patrol boats have been bought by the THA and will be used to enforce the ban.

WM

Related Links

Store Bay Marine Services Profile | Store Bay Marine Services Website

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