What we ask
The Demands
Each demand is written so it can be implemented with existing Lebanese institutions. None of them requires new legislation to begin.
- 01
Enforce the existing jet-ski 200 m rule
Enforce the published summer safety guidance requiring jet skis to stay out of swimming areas, remain at least 200 metres from shore, and enter and exit only through designated marked corridors.
- 02
Protected buoyed swimming zones
Physically buoy and mark swimming zones at every public beach, resort beach and recognised swimming rock area, maintained for the full swimming season.
- 03
Mandatory marked boat corridors
Every marina, harbour, boat ramp and rental point must have a marked entry/exit corridor that does not cross a swimming zone.
- 04
Proposed 5-knot / no-wake zone within 300 m of the coast
CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL — not current Lebanese law. Adopt a national near-shore standard: all powered craft operate at no more than 5 knots and produce no wake within 300 metres of the coastline. The rule is propulsion-neutral and covers motorboats of any size (small or large, recreational or commercial), tourist, sightseeing and excursion boats, speedboats, outboard-powered craft, waterjet / jet-drive craft even with no exposed propeller, and jet skis / personal watercraft. Inside a designated sightseeing/swimmer interaction zone such as Raouché / Pigeon Rocks we propose a stricter 3-knot, bare-steerage, no-wake limit where operationally feasible, with marked sightseeing routes kept separate from swimmer zones: no acceleration, planing, sharp turns or wake-producing manoeuvres inside marked interaction zones, and approach only through clearly marked corridors. Emergency, rescue, security and specifically authorised operations are excepted. Sailing and non-powered craft are outside this rule unless running under engine power at the time.
- 05
Operator licensing and insurance
Require a valid operator licence and third-party liability insurance for every commercial and recreational powered craft operating near swimmers — motorboats of any size, tourist/sightseeing and excursion boats, speedboats, outboard-powered craft, waterjet / jet-drive craft with no exposed propeller, and jet skis alike. Licensing should test proper look-out, safe speed and swimmer separation, not only vessel handling. CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL — licensing conditions for small tourist, sightseeing and excursion craft should also cover: never carrying more persons than the vessel's certified, licensed or manufacturer-rated capacity, whichever limit governs the vessel; a visibly posted maximum passenger count; a recorded pre-departure passenger headcount; properly fitted lifejackets/PFDs worn (not merely carried) by every passenger and crew member while underway; correctly sized child PFDs for children; and a pre-departure safety briefing.
- 06
Visible vessel registration
Registration numbers must be large, legible from shore and unobstructed, so any witness can identify a vessel involved in an incident.
- 07
Mandatory incident reporting
Any collision, near miss with injury risk, or wake injury involving a swimmer must be reported by the operator and the beach/marina management within 24 hours. This applies to every powered craft regardless of propulsion: motorboats of any size, tourist/sightseeing and excursion boats, speedboats, outboard-powered craft, waterjet / jet-drive craft with no exposed propeller, and jet skis.
- 08
Seasonal patrols
Deploy visible seasonal maritime patrols at the highest-risk coastal segments during the swimming season, with published patrol coverage.
- 09
Penalties and licence suspension
Graduated penalties for near-shore speeding and swimming-zone incursion, including suspension of operator and rental licences for repeat or injury-causing violations.
- 10
Resort, marina and rental safety plans
Every resort, marina, diving club and boat/jet-ski rental must file a written safety plan: zone marking, lifeguard cover, operator briefing, and an incident log. CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL — for small tourist, sightseeing and excursion craft the plan should also record: certified/licensed passenger capacity and a no-overcrowding rule, a visibly posted maximum passenger count, a pre-departure passenger headcount, properly fitted lifejackets/PFDs worn by all passengers and crew while underway, correctly sized child PFDs, and a pre-departure safety briefing covering lifejacket fastening and emergency instructions.
- 11
Public authority responsibility matrix
Publish, in writing, which authority is responsible for regulation, marking, patrolling, rescue and investigation in the 0–300 m coastal band — and who answers when an incident occurs.
- 12
A Raouché Maritime Safety Zone
Create a named, mapped safety zone at Raouché / Pigeon Rocks with buoyed swimming water, a single marked sightseeing corridor, a posted speed limit, seasonal patrol presence and bilingual signage.
Additional proposed standards
These standards sit alongside the 12 core demands without renumbering them. Every numerical limit below is a campaign proposal, not current Lebanese law.
Tourist & sightseeing boat speed standard (campaign proposal)
Tourist, sightseeing and excursion boats work closest to swimmers, rocks and bathing areas. We propose a dedicated standard for them.
- Within the proposed 300 m coastal safety band: maximum 5 knots and no wake.
- Within a designated sightseeing/swimmer interaction zone such as Raouché / Pigeon Rocks: a stricter 3-knot, bare-steerage, no-wake limit where operationally feasible.
- Sightseeing routes marked and kept separate from swimmer zones; boats approach only through clearly marked corridors.
- No acceleration, planing, sharp turns or wake-producing manoeuvres inside marked swimmer/sightseeing interaction zones.
These numerical limits are proposals for adoption, modelled on comparable Mediterranean practice. They are not currently Lebanese law.
Propulsion-neutral scope: waterjet and jet-drive craft included
Every rule the campaign proposes applies to a powered craft because it is powered and near swimmers — not because of the kind of drive it uses.
- Waterjet / jet-drive boats, including craft with no exposed propeller, remain subject to swimmer-separation, speed, no-wake, lookout, corridor and incident-reporting rules.
- The safety concern is not only exposed-propeller injury: collision with the hull, intake and jet hazards, wake, and the inability to stop quickly can also injure a swimmer.
- This is not a statement that waterjet propulsion is inherently unsafe. It simply is not exempt.
Sailing and non-powered craft stay outside the powered-craft rules unless they are running under engine power at the time.
Forward Visibility & Lookout Standard (campaign proposal)
Grounded in the international proper look-out and safe speed principles (COLREG Rules 5 and 6), applied to all powered boats of any size — motorboats small or large, RIBs, runabouts, outboard-powered craft, sightseeing boats, waterjet / jet-drive boats and jet skis alike. A centre-console or forward-console helm with an unobstructed forward view is the preferred safety configuration.
- The operator must have a continuously unobstructed view of the vessel's path ahead.
- Preferred configuration: a centre-console or forward-console helm, which generally gives the operator the clearest direct view of the water ahead.
- Risk category: an aft / rear helm position, high bow rise, passenger, canopy or cargo obstruction, spray, or any vessel geometry or trim that creates a material forward blind sector.
- Whenever a material forward blind sector exists, the boat slows to bare-steerage / no-wake speed AND uses a dedicated additional lookout positioned where the path ahead can be observed continuously.
- No boat proceeds at planing or high speed when the operator cannot directly see the water ahead.
- Commercial sightseeing and tourist craft operating near swimmers should have the helm positioned forward or centrally with a clear view of the water ahead. If an aft / rear helm is used, or any forward blind sector remains, a dedicated trained forward lookout and reduced speed are required while underway.
- A bow-facing camera and monitor may be considered as supplemental equipment for commercial boats with persistent blind sectors — electronic aids do not replace the human lookout requirement.
Centre-console and forward-console layouts are treated here as the safer configuration, not as a hazard. What the rule targets is an actual forward blind sector — from an aft helm, bow rise, obstruction or trim — regardless of boat type, and it applies to motorboats of any size and to waterjet / jet-drive craft. The preferred helm position is a campaign safety proposal and best-practice requirement, not an existing Lebanese technical regulation.
Small Sightseeing Craft: Capacity & Lifejacket Standard (campaign proposal)
Applies to small tourist, sightseeing and excursion craft operating in near-shore swimmer interaction areas, launch/access corridors and exposed coastal water. Safe capacity depends on each vessel's certification and design — the campaign does not propose one universal passenger number.
- Never carry more persons than the vessel's certified, licensed or manufacturer-rated capacity, whichever limit governs that vessel.
- The maximum permitted passenger count is visibly posted on the vessel and known to the operator before departure.
- The operator performs and records or confirms a passenger headcount before leaving, and does not accept additional passengers beyond the approved limit.
- No overcrowding, unsafe standing or loading, or passenger placement that materially obstructs helm visibility, emergency movement or safe weight distribution.
- Passengers have seating or secure positions appropriate to the vessel's design.
- Commercial and tourist operators maintain a manifest or headcount record appropriate to trip size and to local licensing requirements where applicable.
- Properly fitted lifejackets/PFDs are WORN — not merely carried — by every passenger and crew member while underway on small or open tourist, sightseeing and excursion craft in near-shore swimmer interaction zones, launch/access corridors or exposed coastal waters.
- Each lifejacket is the correct size and fit for the person wearing it, and children wear correctly sized child PFDs at all times while aboard or underway in these craft.
- Before departure the operator demonstrates or briefs correct fastening and confirms that every passenger is wearing a lifejacket before getting underway.
- Enough serviceable, approved PFDs for the vessel's full certified capacity are carried. Damaged, inaccessible or unsuitable PFDs do not satisfy this proposal.
CAMPAIGN PROPOSAL / مقترح حملة. These capacity and lifejacket-wearing standards are campaign safety proposals unless a specific Lebanese rule is separately sourced and verified. They do not claim to state existing Lebanese statutory requirements, and no numeric universal passenger limit is proposed because safe capacity depends on vessel certification and design.
Who has to act on each demand?
The responsibility matrix maps every demand to the authority best placed to deliver it.
Authorities