EU Court: Island luxury tax illegal
The luxury tax that the Italian island of Sardinia imposed on visiting yachts and aircraft in 2006 has been ruled unfair in the European Court of Justice, according to news reports.
An Italian court requested an opinion on the tax’s legality from the European Union after the local marine industry objected that the tax unfairly gave Italian vessels an economic advantage over fellow EU-registered vessels.
The EU court ruled that because the tax only applied to visiting boats and planes, it was protectionist and therefore illegal.
The tax was charged on yachts over 14m, private planes and second homes within 3km of the sea. Yachts with annual contracts at Sardinia marinas were exempt from the tax.
The tax was in effect from June 1 to Sept. 30 with rates charged on a graduated scale. The captain of a 131-foot yacht interviewed in 2006 paid 10,000 euros.

CBP automates I-94
 U.S. Customs and Border Protection has launched a pilot program to automate the I-94 arrival/departure form for travelers from Auckland, New Zealand to Los Angeles International Airport.
The pilot program began on Nov. 12
and will last 30 days. It only applies to travelers arriving to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program with an approved travel authorization via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
The U.S. Congress has required through legislation that the Department of Homeland Security develop and implement an automated system to determine, in advance of travel, the eligibility of visitors to travel to the U.S. under the VWP, and whether such travel poses a law enforcement or security risk.
ESTA became mandatory Jan. 12 for all nationals of VWP countries prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the VWP.
VWP travelers need to receive an ESTA approval prior to departing for the United States.
This requirement does not affect U.S. citizens returning from overseas or citizens of VWP countries traveling on a valid U.S. visa.

Bahamas working on yacht registry
 The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) plans to launch a megayacht registry “by the end of the year,” according to a story in The Tribune in early November.
“We want to do it, the government wants to do it, and all are very supportive of the idea,” BMA chairman Ian Fair told the newspaper. “It’s just a matter of putting it all together.
“There’s great progress being made, and we’re hopeful of being able to launch it by the end of the year,” Fair said.
The megayacht registry would extend the Bahamas’ existing ship registry, which has about 1,700 ships, making it the world’s third largest registry, the newspaper reported.

Broker gets two months in prison
Broker Rob Moran, 58, was sentenced in November to two months in prison after pleading guilty to filing a false tax return to avoid taxes on
$3.4 million in assets at UBS AG.
Moran, owner of Moran Yacht & Ship in Ft. Lauderdale, cooperated with prosecutors who were investigating offshore tax evasion.
The judge did not fine Moran, though he paid a $1.89 million civil penalty, according to news reports. Moran will be on probation for one year after his sentence.
“I am really very sorry for opening this account and not reporting it,” said Moran, a married father of four, at the hearing, according to a story from the Associated Press. “I apologize to my family and my friends for causing lots of pain and unhappiness.”

SXM show adds brokerage boats; SXM, Antigua offset carbon
 The Mediterranean Yacht Brokers Association (MYBA) has opened its winter charter show up to brokerage yachts. For more details, visit www.mybacaribbeanshow.com.
Both the Antigua Charter Yacht Meeting and the MYBA St. Maarten Charter Show are offsetting greenhouse gas emissions from their December boat shows through Yacht Carbon Offset.
The equivalent carbon emissions reductions are achieved by independently verified green energy projects, and the effectiveness of the action is underpinned by Yacht Carbon Offset’s Lloyds Register Quality Assurance Certification. 
Attending yachts are also invited to offset their estimated fuel used for the shows, which run from Dec. 4-7 in St. Maarten and Dec. 7-11 in Antigua.
For details, visit www.yachtcarbon offset.com.

US gives Lloyd’s OK to issue IAPPs
 The U.S. Coast Guard has authorized Lloyd’s Register to issue anti-pollution certificates to U.S.-flagged vessels. The International Air Pollution Prevention certificates are issued under MARPOL Annex VI.

Group taking over lagoon authority
 In answer to increased bridge and mooring fees imposed on the yachting community in St. Maarten’s Simpson Bay, the St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies is preparing to takeover Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corp. (SLAC), according to a story in The Netherlands Antilles Daily Herald on
Nov. 10.
A consulting company founded by Jeff Boyd has been hired to prepare “an overview of the challenges and opportunities for the megayacht industry, and to create an updated business plan for SLAC that includes marketing to vessels and advising the harbour on new business opportunities with the megayacht industry,” the newspaper reported.
The take over of SLAC, which collects bridge fees and operates the bridge, was approved earlier this year.

eBay-type site for wealthy opens
BillionaireXchange.com launched in mid-November, an eBay-type auction site for luxury goods. Items listed in its opening days were a bottle of Remy Martin cognac for $25,000 and the 143-foot M/Y Leight Star, a megayacht built by Sun Coast Marine, with a starting bid of $49 million.

Dutch teen prohibited from quest
A Dutch court in late October barred 14-year-old Laura Dekker from setting off on a round-the-world solo yacht trip for at least eight months, citing safety concerns and placing her in care, according to AFP news service.
Dekker is seeking to become the youngest person ever to sail around the world alone on a yacht.
She has been placed under the care of child care services until July 1. It was unclear what would happen after that.
In mid-October, Australian Jessica Watson, 16, set off on her own bid to become the youngest solo round-the-world sailor.

IBEX to move to Louisville
The International Boatbuilders Exhibition and Conference (IBEX), which has been held in Miami Beach for the past seven years, will relocate to Louisville, Ky., in 2010.
Attendance was down 18 percent last year and 31 percent this year, organizers said. Added to the expense for exhibitors were the periphery elements of a trade show, such as hotel rooms and meals.
“Over the years, our attendees and exhibitors have expressed increasing concerns about the high costs in South Florida,” said Carl Cramer, IBEX show co-director. “Our primary duty as show producers is to keep our constituents happy, and to produce a high-quality trade show. We are confident our location in Louisville will prove to be a successful new beginning.”
IBEX 2010 will be held Sept. 28-30 in Louisville, Ky.

Mobile radiation monitor in Wash.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection has deployed a mobile Radiation Portal Monitor at the Friday Harbor port of entry, located on San Juan Island in Washington state.
The truck-mounted RPM is a self contained, passive monitoring device that permits screening for dangerous radiological devices or materials that might be smuggled into the United States in vehicles arriving aboard the international ferry.
CBP employs mobile RPMs as part of its strategy to prevent terrorists and their weapons from entering the country. CBP has permanent RPMs located along the land border environment and in various seaports. The mobile RPM enables this technology to be moved from port to port.

180-day slowdown for right whales
The U.S. Coast Guard issued a reminder to operators of vessels 65 feet or greater that the Right Whale Ship Strike Reduction Rule took effect Nov. 1, requiring those vessels to slow down while operating in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic waters where North Atlantic right whales are known to migrate, calve and nurse. The whales are among the world’s rarest animals. Only 400 of them are estimated to remain.
The speed restrictions will be in effect in coastal waters from Rhode Island to Georgia beginning through April 30. Maps of the areas and a compliance guide are available at www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/shipstrike.