Guidelines issued for a water taxi licence

As part of the long-term plans to revamp the public transport system in line with changing times, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT) issued a decision 33/2022 on regulating water taxis based on the Maritime Law.

The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology, has been working on an improvement plan for the transportation sector, which includes organising the public transport and operations of trucks.

Speaking to the Observer, Eng Khamis bin Mohammed al Shamaki, the Under-Secretary for Transport, had said, “There are plans to introduce water taxis in Oman. We are in discussion to identify possible spots to develop the water taxi service in Muscat and Musandam. Once the proposal is ready, a tender will be floated.”

The decision states that water taxis will be used to transport people for an agreed fee, following approval from the Maritime Authority.

Article (2) states that it is not permissible to practice the activities stipulated in this regulation except after obtaining a licence.

Some of the requirements include that the company must be commercially registered, must have a licence to practice the activity of water taxi by fare, certificate of origin of the marine water taxi unit, proof of ownership, age of the taxi unit shall be not more than 15 years from the date of its construction or reconstruction, except for those with fiberglass, customs release statement if the unit was purchased from outside the Sultanate of Oman, a comprehensive insurance document of its crew and passengers, licensing of radio communication equipment, a copy of the passport or ID card of the captain.

The maritime authority must decide on the application for a navigation licence within 30 days from the date of its submission.

The concerned party may file a grievance with the Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technology within 60 from the expiry date of his notification of the rejection decision. The grievance must be decided upon within thirty 30 days from the date of submission of all documents. No response within those 30 days shall be considered as a refusal.

The navigation licence is issued for a period of one year, subject to renewal. The renewal application must be submitted 30 days before the expiry date.

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