New license for sixteen-year-olds has been introduced
Recently Confindustria Nautica presented the methods and benefits of a great innovation for boaters: the introduction of the “D1 license” for 16-year-olds, allowing daytime navigation within six miles of the coast with boats up to 10 meters in length, or, from the age of 18, with boats up to 12 meters and a maximum of 115 HP. This is a strong incentive to support the small boating market and a concrete opportunity to introduce young people to boating and maritime culture.
The new Regulation of the implementation of the Code of pleasure boating (Decree of September 17, 2024, No. 133, Regulation amending Decree No. 146 of July 29, 2008), following the licensing decree (August 10, 2021) which introduced the new quiz exam methods.
The Regulation was presented at the 64th International Boat Show in Genoa in the presence of Matteo Salvini, Vice President of the Council and Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, and other government officials present at the Boat Show. Many interventions are contained in the 101 articles, including the introduction of the long-awaited “license” that allows 16-year-olds to approach the sea and boating.
The D1 license can be obtained from the age of 16 to allow daytime navigation within six miles of the coast with “pleasure craft” (units up to 10 meters) or, from the age of 18, with boats up to 12 meters in length, or with jet skis within one mile from the coast if the units are equipped with engines with a power not exceeding 85 kW or 115.6 HP.
“It took over four years of intense work, marked by the change of three governments, to bring the new Regulation to approval,” emphasizes Confindustria Nautica’s General Director, Marina Stella. “This demonstrates the role and value of the Association’s national category structure, capable of enhancing the interests of the sector and promoting appropriate development policies to the benefit of the entire supply chain. Already from the next season, we will see benefits. Meanwhile, since last February, we have been working to include further administrative simplifications, measures for the competitiveness of the Italian flag in the next Blue Economy DDL, and environmental protection regulations.”
“The new D1 license offers different opportunities for the new generations, anticipating the development of young people’s skills in boat handling by two years, opening up new opportunities for them both recreationally and professionally, promoting knowledge, safety culture, and environmental respect through a mandatory training course based on these three cornerstones. At the same time, it represents support for the growth of the boating sector, stimulating the demand for the purchase and rental of boats and related services,” concludes Stella.
“The D1 license is part of a broader action to protect, in this case, Small boating,” confirms Roberto Neglia, responsible for institutional relations at Confindustria Nautica. “which finds support in the DCI (Declaration of construction and import) for pleasure craft, a form of legal protection of ownership without the costs and burdens of registration that also allows navigation in foreign waters, and in the obligation for public ports to allocate spaces for mooring boats up to 6 meters in length.”
Furthermore, the introduction of the D1 license supports the knowledge, culture, and respect for the marine environment: it requires specific training that prepares young people for safe navigation, teaching the main rules and techniques of motor and sailboat handling, thus increasing their sense of responsibility, awareness, and respect for the rules of behavior at sea.
The new D1 license is obtained by attending a training course, integrated with practical navigation exercises and motor maneuvers, and passing a final suitability quiz, held by Nautical Schools and Instruction Centers. The ministerial decree with the procedures will be issued shortly.
However, the exemption regime from the boating license remains unchanged. The new Regulation of the implementation of the Pleasure Boating Code does not change the exemption regime from the boating license for the use of motors with power not exceeding 30 kW or 40.8 HP. Consequently, the possession of the following requirements is required for the operation without a boating license of pleasure craft not exceeding 24 meters in length, navigating within six miles of the coast, with an engine power and displacement not exceeding 30 kW or 40.8 HP: a) for boats, being 18 years old, b) for pleasure craft (up to 10 meters in length), being 16 years old, c) for sailboats with a sail area not exceeding four square meters as well as for rowing boats navigating beyond one mile from the coast, being 14 years old.
È nato un nuovo patentino per i sedicenni
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