Beds on Board welcomes AMSA's release of draft exemption

Darren Vaux, Nicky Vaux & Jason Ludlow © AAP Medianet

Beds on Board, the sharing economy platform that connects guests and owners for amazing stays on boats, welcomes the release by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) of the consultation draft of the proposed "Marine Safety (Short term marina accommodation) Exemption 2018". The exemption enables owners of private vessels berthed in marinas to rent their boats out as overnight accommodation and in doing so offset some of their costs of ownership. Unlike other jurisdictions, such as the UK, this use has not been permissible to date under Australian maritime law. The exemption, when finalised, will pave the way for this activity to proceed in a clear and transparent way.

Darren Vaux, Australian Director of Beds on Board said, "We have been working with AMSA and the industry for over a year to develop a sensible regulatory framework for this activity and we welcome the issue by AMSA of the draft exemption. This now provides the opportunity for the industry and boat owners alike to understand the framework and to have their say."

Beds on Board lists thousands of boats around the world and sees Australia and the South Pacific as ideal locations for this unique accommodation offering. Like other sharing economy platforms, bedsonboard.com provides the opportunity to monetise underutilised assets and opens up a new market for the marine industry. The success of the platform in the UK and Europe has seen guests staying on boats for alternative weekend breaks, events, business trips and to celebrate special occasions as well allowing prospective boat owners to "try before you buy".

Marinas are seeing the added benefits of supporting their customers with this use, with Beds on Board guests coming to the marina and spending money on services like restaurants, bars, charter and hire boats and in doing so are seeing greater market exposure, particularly through social media.

"All the latest boating industry research points to the need to embrace peer to peer platforms to engage with our customers of the future," says Darren Vaux. "Beds on Board provides the opportunity to open up the luxury boating and marina lifestyle to a wide range of new customers without the risks associated with navigation. It allows private and charter boat owners to offset the cost of boat ownership and marinas the opportunity to increase market exposure, creating positive outcomes for all involved."

The consultation draft is available on AMSAs website here.

The consultation is open until 26 June, 2018.