Boat Safety Scheme

BSS points boaters to important safety issues highlighted by  Windermere's Easter tragedy on Motor Cruiser Arniston

On the eve of Boat Fire Safety Week, the Boat Safety Scheme (BSS) is pointing UK boaters to the safety issues identified today in the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) Safety Bulletin concerning the death of mother and her 10-year old daughter aboard the motor cruiser Arniston on Lake Windermere at Easter.

New-look, receipt-style BSS Certificate from April 2013

The process of sending the blue copy of the Boat Safety Scheme Certificate (BSSC) to the boats registration or licensing body has ended on the 31 March 2013 with the launch of a new-look, receipt-style certificate. Behind the change is the access all participating navigation authorities have to the BSS online database to double check your boat's certificate validity.

The BSS Examination

Just like a car, on most of the UK's inland waterways, a boat needs to be licensed, insured and have the boat-equivalent of a MOT -valid BSS certification - before it can cruise. Check with your navigation authority if this applies to your waterway.

Passing a BSS examination once every four years helps prevent boat fires, explosions, or pollution.  BSS examinations are carried out by independent BSS Examiners.

This section is about getting a boat examined and certificated as well as the BSS requirements the boat systems should meet.

Revised checks for the private boat BSS Examination are implemented from Jan 2013: A four-page summary of the key BSS changes can be download on this link.

There is a new-look, receipt-style BSS certificate from April 2013. This page explains what is happening.

Also in this section:

Preparing for examination

Find-An-Examiner webpage

Boats with gas

Stay Safe

Having fuel and electrical installations on your boat that pass a BSS examination is only part of staying safe.

Most boat-related incidents involve someone on board doing something to cause it, or not doing something to avoid it  …

… knowing what the key risks are, how to prevent fire and carbon monoxide events, using all senses to recognise a risk exists and planning to be safe, are all key to staying safe.

This site has advice on:

Fire Safety on Boats

Carbon Monoxide Safety on Boats

Solid fuel stove safety

Fitting a smoke alarm if you stay aboard your boat

The BSS as an organisation

This is about what the Boat Safety Scheme is, what it does and, how it is set up,

You can learn more on how the Scheme is run, the committees that steer its activities, how stakeholders are involved in the decisions and policies, as well as how the appeals and complaints systems work.

The BSS role

How the BSS is run

BSS News

Latest: new-look, receipt-style certificate has arrived this April

Contact the BSS Office team

If you wish to contact the BSS Team about any of these subjects, or if you have an incident or near incident you would like to tell us about, please click on this link:

BSS contact page