If you are cruising in Italian waters and have a tender and outboard motor, you may need to change your insurance details immediately or risk being fined, the Cruising Association (CA) advises. As reported by Practical Boat Owner.

Published 9 years ago, updated 6 years ago

Read full report at http://www.pbo.co.uk/news/threat-of-fines-in-italy-for-wrong-insurance-papers-23414

An Italian government body ISVAP (L’Istituto per la vigilanza sulle assicurazioni private e di interesse collettivo) or (Institute for the supervision of private insurance and collective interest) is requiring a new yacht liability certificate of insurance (blue card) for boats – which takes immediate effect.

This is the Liability certificate that is in Italian and is provided by your insurer when cruising in Italian waters and which proves that you have compulsory liability insurance in place.

The only changes to the old liability certificate are that it now formally requires the serial number of the tender and the outboard and boat skippers can be fined if they do not have the correct documents. The new wording from the Italian government has already been implemented by Lloyds of London and through Lloyd’s Italy.

CA member, Rob Stevens, MD of Topsail Insurance, said that even prior to the new ISVAP requirement, some of his clients had already been fined for not having the tender and outboard serial numbers noted and he was immediately issuing the new updated Italian document that complies to the amended regulations.

Rob said: ‘The tender and outboard details have now been formally adopted into the certificate by ISVAP and all insurers will need to include the new format in their documentation in order to ensure that boat skippers are not fined for having incorrect documents.’