By José Antonio Pérez
Harbormaster Luis Castro Galan announced vessels registered in the United States that are in Puerto Peñasco permanently, will have until early October to regularize their legal situation.
The Harbormaster detailed due to the condition of being a free border zone, irregular boats are sailing into Puerto Peñasco, which, in addition to being illegal, represents a risk to navigation safety.
He explained all vessels must have a launch permit that allows them to go to sea. In addition, if the ship was acquired abroad, its legal importation must be verified.
He clarified it is no longer enough to just present the state registry issued by entities such as Arizona and California, because once in Puerto Peñasco the U.S. vessels are in international navigation and must adhere to provisions in that regard.
The Harbormaster stressed every vessel that goes out to sea must comply with legal provisions, as this permits them to know how and how many people are in the waters, which facilitates search and rescue tasks in case of mishaps.
Castro Galán said the main intent of the call for vessels to regularize their situation is to improve controls and strengthen actions to safeguard human life at sea.