Commercial vessels: protection and indemnity insurance.

Existing law expresses the policy of the state to promote safety for persons and property in and connected with the use and equipment of vessels. Existing law requires every for-hire vessel company to procure adequate liability protection for the payment of damages for personal bodily injuries, including death, and property damage as a result of an accident. This bill would require a vessel used for commercial purposes to have a minimum of $1,000,000 of protection and indemnity insurance to cover wreck removal costs of the vessel. The bill would authorize the Division of Boating and Waterways to adopt regulations to implement that requirement and would subject the operator of a vessel who violates that requirement or those regulations to a civil penalty not exceeding an unspecified amount per day per violation.