Starting July 1, all boaters navigating Nassau Harbour will be required to adhere to a new, strict 5-mile-per-hour speed limit, part of a package of far-reaching maritime safety legislation introduced by Bahamas’ Transport Minister Leon Lundy.
The regulatory overhaul comes as the government moves to address longstanding safety and environmental challenges in the island nation’s busiest harbor. Currently, existing navigation rules for the Port of Nassau do not outline a fixed numerical speed cap, only barring vessels from operating at speeds that create wakes capable of damaging other craft or endangering people on the water. The new legislative framework codifies the 5 mph no-wake limit into law for Nassau Harbour, a change that brings clear, enforceable standards to the busy waterway.
Beyond the Nassau Harbour speed rule, the legislation establishes a broad requirement that all vessels operating in any Bahamian port area must maintain a “safe speed” — defined as a speed that allows the operator to take full, effective evasive action to avoid collisions. The 5 mph cap will also apply to commercial recreational watercraft under the separate Commercial Recreational Watercraft (Amendment) Bill 2026, while the Water Skiing and Motor Boat Control (Amendment) Bill 2026 extends identical safety protections to all other motorized boats operating in regulated waters.
A second major pillar of the reform package targets the growing problem of abandoned and derelict vessels, which have plagued Bahamian waterways for years. Under the Boat Registration amendment, vessel owners who leave their craft unmanned for 21 consecutive days or more will face strict legal liability, with financial penalties that can reach as high as $100,000 for violations. Minister Lundy emphasized that abandoned vessels pose a cascade of problems: they block critical navigation channels, cause lasting damage to coastal and marine ecosystems, and impose significant public costs for removal and remediation.
For violations under the Water Skiing and Motor Boat Control amendment, penalties can climb to $50,000 in fines, and the most severe offenses may even result in up to two years of prison time.
The new legislative measures build on ongoing clean-up and removal efforts already underway by the country’s Port Department. In recent months, agency crews have already removed sunken derelict vessels from Montague Dock and Potter’s Cay, and are currently overseeing the removal of three large abandoned craft: the 80-foot steel-hull trawler *Adrianna*, the M/Y Double Shot, and the Transcargo. Minister Lundy confirmed that that removal work is nearly complete, with additional clean-up operations already carried out at Clifton Pier.
Lundy stressed that the new regulatory framework sends an unambiguous message to all water users: Nassau Harbour is a working commercial harbor, and reckless or irresponsible behavior on the water will no longer be tolerated with weak enforcement. “The recklessness that has too long been tolerated on our waters will now meet the firm hand of the law,” he said.