Mooring Specifications
There are 2 elements relating to what is usually referred to as a 'mooring'.
The mooring position is an allocated area of seabed made available by lease from the CE upon which ground tackle may be laid and includes the water of the safe swinging area for a vessel in that location.
The lease allows the position holder to lay mooring tackle or equipment within the allocated area; this equipment must be marked with a valid Crown Estate mooring tag.
OBCB has standard mooring tackle specifications which include annual maintenance requirements - all work for which which must be met or exceeded by a competent HSE contractor holding Professional Liability insurance for his business.
Annual Declaration
Each year as part of membership renewal, private leaseholder mooring owners are required to declare that annual maintenance requirements are in place, by confirming -
- the mooring tackle has been correctly inspected and made good by a competent contractor within the previous twelve months, and is therefore covered by that contractors insurance.
- it is possible for an owner to carry out maintenance work on his mooring himself, if he wishes, provided he obtains a subsequent favourable inspection report from a professional contractor to cover it
- any vessel using their mooring carries Third Party liability insurance as a minimum
Where the tackle making up the mooring is not maintained correctly, and it is not covered by contactors insurance, the mooring’s owner is at risk of being sued for compensation in the event of any accident -
- where a vessel breaks free from its mooring and damages another
- a vessel is damaged by a sunken mooring, rope, chain or buoy constituting a serious danger to navigation (at high tide a mooring may just be under the water surface)
- the mooring’s owner without proper contractor insurance cover may face serious consequences from compensation claims arising from his negligence
Inspections carried out by the moorings contractor to warrant the mooring tackle's suitability for its purpose are normally valid for 6 months; so where a mooring is planned to be in use year round, 2 inspections are usually required annually.
OBCB will not enter into disputes between the mooring holders and/or their contractors and/or their insurers.
The annual lease runs from 1st January to 31st December each year.
Crown Estate tags
All established moorings must display the official CE tag throughout the year - the tag’s purpose is to identify licensed moorings to the CE’s Marine Officers during regular inspections.
Where a mooring is dropped for the winter, the tag must go on the marker float so that it remains available to be checked by the CE.
The CE will take action against illegal unlicensed moorings, which can lead to serious fines and considerable expenses of court proceedings. More about this here »
IMPORTANT NOTICE - CROWN ESTATE TAG 2010
The Crown Estate Mooring Tags issued in Spring 2010 remain valid until 31st December 2014.
The CE tag must be fixed to the mooring and visible at all times, even when the mooring is not in use.
The CE tag is normally fixed securely to the pickup float.
Please note - it is the responsibility of each individual mooring holder to ensure the tag is fixed securely to the mooring pickup.
If you do not attach your tag, or your mooring is found without a current valid tag, the CE Marine Officer is likely to make further enquiries, potentially leading to a minimum £50 charge if the CE has to replace it.
Take good care of your tag; it has to last to end of 2014 at least! If you lose it tell us at once, and we’ll order a replacement, for which there is normally no charge.
More about the Crown Estate Commission here »
Surface Float
All moorings must be marked with a suitably sized surface float with the individual mooring number clearly marked on it -numerals at least 12" /30cm in size preferably painted black.
Moorings positions not marked by a surface float will be regarded as relinquished and OBCB may wish to reallocate the position to another person to avoid sterilisation of the space.
OBCB has the right to lift unregistered and unpaid moorings within the area administered by them and intends to implement this where necessary.