Local & State - July 13, 2004
New Cuba vessel limits are issued
Measure targets boats under 100 meters
By GRANT BOXLEITNER , gboxleitner@news-press.com
Published by news-press.com on July 12, 2004
New U.S. traveling restrictions at sea require vessels less than 100 meters going from the United States into Cuban territorial waters to first obtain a Coast Guard-issued permit.
Violators may face civil penalties up to $25,000 a day and an on-the-spot ticket of up to $10,000 and vessel forfeiture if the Coast Guard can prove the operator went to Cuba.
The new boat restrictions, effective Thursday, accompany new restrictions on Cuban-American travel to the communist nation and the shipment of gift parcels.
Few boats less than 100 meters travel to Cuba from Florida. Before Thursday, the permit requirement applied only to Florida-based vessels, and 263 permits were issued between September 2002 and Oct. 1, 2003, said Petty Officer 2nd Class Anastasia Burns, a spokeswoman for the Coast Guard in Miami. Just 68 permits have been requested between October 2003 and June 15, 2004, Burns said
(snip/...)
http://www.news-press.com/news/local_state/040712cubaboat.html