GOVERNOR Arnold I. Palacios has signed into law House Bill 23-99, requiring all sea vessels and/or motor boats to have a global positioning system or GPS.
Authored by Rep. Vincent S. Aldan, the bill is now Public Law 23-28.
It requires the Department of Public Safety to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of the new law within six months after its enactment on Oct. 31, 2024.
P.L. 23-28 states that in the CNMI, commercial or personal vessels are constantly operating in and out of the water on a regular basis, whether commercial shipping trade, commercialized or subsistence fishing, tourism and marine sports activities.
“Due to the occurrences of vessels or motorboats being lost at sea around the CNMI, it is evident that there is [a] need to include GPS in the list of requirements imposed by Section 5451 of the Commonwealth Code pertaining to boating safety measures,” the new law stated.
It also said that using GPS “will significantly enhance safe navigation, transparency, operational efficiency, and security throughout the entire maritime industry in the CNMI.”
