A large, capacious yacht got swept up in a Coast Guard charter-vessel bust in Miami last weekend, adding to its curious legal history. The Round, a 98-foot Italian-made motor yacht, was boarded and allegedly found to be in violation of a Captain of the Port order, which the operator had allegedly violated once before earlier this year.
A vessel matching The Round’s name, appearance and Miami home port is listed on a for-charter advertising site, Giggster, for a rate of $1,300 per hour. According to a graphic released by the Coast Guard, inspectors cited the vessel for six violations, including failure to have a COI, failure to employ an appropriately credentialed mariner, and failure to have an endorsement for coastwise trade (the vessel is foreign-built and foreign-flagged).
The service noted that the maximum penalty for willfully and knowingly violating a COTP order is a felony, punishable by up to $250,000 in fines or six years in prison. Civil penalties range northwards of $100,000 per day, plus additional penalties for other violations, like unlicensed passenger-for-hire operations…