Jet skis in Cyprus will be electronically monitored from the shore, according to a draft bill submitted before parliament on Thursday by the Deputy Shipping Ministry.
The proposal was preceded by the deputy ministry’s admittance that inspections of the high-powered watercraft are minimal due to staff shortages, Philenews reports.
The issue was raised days only after a shocking accident in Lady Mile’s sea involving a foreign family riding their own jet skis lost their six-year-old girl after a collision between them.
Current legislation provides that you do not need a special license to drive a Jet Ski in Cyprus. But you do need to be over 18 years old and hold a full non-Cypriot driving license.
The deputy ministry’s Themis Evriviades told MPs that the draft aims to amend the 1992 legislation on jet skis so that it also includes supervision issues.
It also focuses on the operation of training schools, and the issuance of jet ski driving licenses. At the same time, it will be mandatory for providers of such watercraft to introduce technology for their supervision from the shore.
Under the current legislation, he said, when a tourist or a Cypriot wants to rent a jet ski he can do so after being informed of the risks and a declaration signing.
In other countries, when a driver is a beginner the jet ski he is allowed to rent has less horsepower to prevent him from speeding.
