Sounds By laws

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Last week the MDC finally passed the plan for the Safety bylaws for the Sounds.

Eleven proposed fees and charges have been dropped in the new plan, with fees remaining only for cruise ships and cargo ships.

The fees will be removed until talks with the Government, which could lead to further investigation and consultation.

Charges remain for a hot work permit, pilotage exemption examination, pilotage licence examination, extended anchoring and vessel licensing.

The main requirement that was dropped was for the Transponder. It was going to cost many of the commercial WEater taxis and Charter Operators as much as $5K for a transponder and none of them could see how one would improve safety.