Ministry cuts water transport fees

13.02.08 12:15 Filed in: The Prague Post
Reduced prices to boost vessels sailing under Czech flag

Ahoj remains by far the most popular casual greeting in this landlocked country. Unknown to most, the greeting actually derives from the sailor’s interjection of “ahoy” and spread like wildfire through the population in the 1920s, holding strong ever since.
In a move to restore some of the nation’s latent naval pride, the government is going ahead with plans to reduce registration fees for river barges and yachts. The state, led by the Transportation Ministry, hopes the reduction will increase the number of ships flying the Czech Republic’s tricolors, making its fees more competitive with neighboring countries.
Currently, about 350 yachts and barges hail from the Czech Republic, not a bad result for a landlocked country. However, more than 200 ship owners have chosen to register in lower-priced countries in the past, according to a Czech News Agency report.
The Transportation Ministry expects to reduce registration prices by at least 500 K? ($29) per year, said spokesman Karel Hanzelka. Consultations are under way to find a properly balanced and competitive price level. Currently, fees compare well with most European countries, but exceed those in Slovakia, he added.
Another purpose of the law, which Parliament is likely to easily approve in the next few months, is to bring local naval laws in sync with European Union legislation, which requires the mutual acknowledgment of seafarers’ documents across member countries to simplify water transport.
The EU and Transportation Ministry have promoted the use of rivers as freight alternatives to roads, but it remains unclear whether the ministry’s proposal could spur shipping in any way. Less than 1 percent of Czech goods are transported via river, dropping from 1,956 metric tons in 2005 to 1,387 metric tons in 2006.
This paucity of water transport was not always so, Hanzelka said.
“[We have] a long tradition in yachting and also in the operation of large commercial vessels,” he said. “In certain periods, the Czech commercial fleet occupied first place among landlocked countries in total deadweight tons [capacity], in competition with Switzerland.”
At the time of the Habsburgs, the Czech lands produced many sailors, since parts and equipment used in the construction of seagoing vessels originated in the empire’s industrial heartland, Hanzelka added.
Private yachters, who have helped keep the country’s naval tradition alive, are encouraged by the ministry’s proposal.
“Although the fee reduction is definitely welcome news, it goes without saying that ship owners are proud of sailing under Czech colors while they cross the world’s oceans,” said Jan Langšádl, spokesman for the Atlantik Minitransat sailing team.
Langsadl said registration fees are higher and the administrative process is at times more exacting here than other countries. This is a positive, though, because it protects ship ownership rights, he added.
When registering a vessel with the Czech Maritime Authority, applicants must prove ownership and bring certificates guaranteeing the vessel’s safety and seaworthiness. Broadly comparable with road vehicle registration, this entitles the owner to fly the Czech ensign.
Despite the EU’s strengthening identity, a unified European maritime flag is not even a distant prospect. “I consider it my right as a citizen to sail under the flag of my country,” said Zden?k Davídek, the Czech Yacht Club’s sports manager. “It’s an expression of patriotism in the positive sense of the word.”
Although the Czech Republic has no oceangoing merchant marine anymore, yachting has become a popular leisure activity, Langsadl said. Lenka Šmídová won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics and has qualified, along with Lenka Mrzílková, for the Olympics in Beijing, giving a boost to the sport’s popularity.