What is a personal watercraft?
A personal watercraft is a vessel powered by an inboard motor powering a water jet pump as its primary source of motive power and that has been designed to be operated by one or more people who sit or stand on the vessel, rather than in it.
What is a public fairway?
Public fairways are marked on charts. The buoyage of a fairway shows the water route in relation to land and larger islands, but does not show the width of the fairway.
The Swedish Maritime Administration determines what navigable parts of rivers, bays, etc. are to be considered public fairways and publicises them in the Statutes of the Swedish Maritime Administration (SJÖFS 1988:5) with notices of decisions on public fairways and public ports.
A public fairway sometimes starts some distaance out in the water, which is why they are usually outside a port. According to the statute, the County Administrative Board may issue regulations on driving to and from public fairways. The County Administrative Board may also issue regulations limiting the use of public fairways for the use of personal watercraft.
Contact the County Administrative Board in your county for more detailed information about where you are allowed to use personal watercraft.
People who drive personal watercraft outside the permitted area may be fined.
Rules and regulations for maritime traffic
Personal watercraft operators, like all other users of waterways, must comply with all existing rules and regulations. That means the standards regarding knowledge of the rules that apply to the waters you are going to be using are just as high for a personal watercraft operator as for a recreational boater.
As the operator of personal watercraft in a fairway, you should be aware of the “Rules of the Road at Sea” (COLREGS/SJÖFS 1989:15) and otherwise use good judgment concerning your actions in relation to other traffic.
Maritime traffic regulations for personal watercraft may be issued by both the Swedish Maritime Administration and the County Administrative Board.
Exemptions
The new ordinance gives the Swedish Maritime Administration the right to grant an exemption in individual cases for use of personal watercraft for maritime search and rescue or for other purposes of public benefit.
Applications for exemptions should be sent to the head office of the Swedish Maritime Administration, SE-601 78, Norrköping, Sweden.