The Boat Safety Scheme
The Boat Safety Scheme, or BSS, is a public safety initiative owned by the Canal & River Trust and the Environment Agency. Its purpose is to help minimise the risk of boat fires, explosions, or pollution harming visitors to the inland waterways, the waterways' workforce and any other users.
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.
Links to popular topics:
- Preparing a boat for examination
- Private boat examinations
- Hire Boat Examinations from 2017
- Non-private boat examinations
- Extra information for boats with gas (LPG or propane/butane)
Stay Safe
Most boat-related incidents involve someone on board doing something to cause it, or not doing something to avoid it.
With the help of some of the leading organisations in their fields, we have advice and tips that may help keep you and your crew safe.
Find out more about:
The Organisation
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.
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