CHICAGO — The Coast Guard, state and local partner agencies conducted maritime patrols July 24-26 in Chicago area waterways as part of Operation Safe Water, an enforcement initiative designed to ensure the safety of boaters.
Given the extensive waterways system and high volume of seasonal vessel traffic across the area, Coast Guard Station Chicago, Coast Guard Station Kenosha, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources and the Chicago Police Department maximized on-water presence to coordinate enforcement efforts across the region.
Throughout the weekend, Coast Guard crews completed 12 hours of patrols and conducted 11 vessel boardings, which resulted in two warnings and two violations.
The interagency operation focused on ensuring adherence to state and federal boating safety regulations, with specific emphasis on recreational boating safety and the operation of vessels carrying passengers for hire.
“The Coast Guard and partner agencies are committed to eliminating illegal passenger operations, which continue to put lives at risk in the Chicago area waterways,” said Cmdr. T.J. Bigay, commanding officer of Coast Guard Martine Safety Unit Chicago.
Passengers paying for a charter are strongly encouraged to ask to see their captain’s official Coast Guard credentials and ensure the vessel is not operating beyond its legal passenger capacity. Vessel owners are encouraged to reach out to the Coast Guard before engaging in charter or passenger-for-hire operations to ensure they operate in compliance with applicable laws. The Coast Guard, in partnership with the Chicago Harbor Safety Committee and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources recommend taking the https://www.chicagoharborsafety.org/paxvesselflowchart quiz, designed to help passengers identify if their boat rental may be an illegal passenger vessel.
Anyone suspecting a vessel of violating the law should report the alleged violation to the https://www.p3tips.com/tipform.aspx?ID=878 and download the CGIS Tips App.
- USCG -