MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA  

a MARINE ASSIST LLC COMPANY

Local area marine assistance agreement benefits, terms and conditions.

Your seasonal MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA marine assistance and towing membership covers your vessel against marine related, non-emergency services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from the date of activation.  Your coverage is valid from the first of May and ends the first of October for the calendar year from the date issued depending on weather conditions and provided your vessel is properly maintained.  Your membership, once approved, shall begin at 1:00AM on the day after your payment has been received.  You will be issued a MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA membership card with your name, membership number, vessel description and type of coverage listed as well as contact information to use should service be needed.  Abuse of this non-emergency service resulting in three (3) service calls or more per calendar year may result in a company review of  the service provided and could result in a proration of costs for service or cancellation of membership.  There are no refunds for any reason. This agreement covers the member owned vessel listed on the membership application only.  One (1) additional member owned vessel may be added at no additional cost.  Other (more than two) member owned vessels may be added at additional cost.  Your service area of coverage is indicated on your membership card.  These areas of service include Lake Erie Unlimited Service which provides free unlimited towing service up to 30 miles from your disabled vessel’s location anywhere on Lake Erie within U.S. waters from Monroe, Michigan to Buffalo, New York or Lake Erie Regional Service which provides unlimited free towing service up to 30 miles from your disabled vessel’s location on Lake Erie in U. S. waters from Mentor Headlands to the PA State Line. Your MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA membership will provide free jump starts, fuel deliveries and/or towing of a member listed vessel if it becomes disabled while in the member’s coverage area.  The member vessel will be re-started or towed to the member’s home port or the closest port of assistance, whichever is closer and depending on the situation.  The cost of repairs, fuel or other parts will be the member’s responsibility in full.  A marine survey may be requested on any vessel built prior to 1997 before coverage will be offered under this agreement.  Vessels over 50' in length are not covered by this membership. Your MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA membership is for tows due to breakdowns in the open waters of LAKE ERIE and does not cover the cost of dock to dock towing.  Member needed dock to dock towing if prescheduled may be provided at a discount, based on the normal towing rate.  Your membership also covers the cost of vessel soft un-groundings.  Soft un-groundings are defined as a vessel, lightly aground, surrounded by water, able to be refloated in 15 minutes or less spent on scene and pulled off by one towing vessel.  Any other situation will be considered the members full responsibility and may be a marine salvage situation.  Marine salvage is defined as any situation in which a vessel is in danger or foreseeable danger of loss in whole or part.  Some examples of marine salvage are, but not limited to; vessels which are hard aground, beached, sunk, burning, capsized, taking on water, unmanned running free or stranded in the surf line.  Non-Covered services shall be due and payable at the time service is rendered.  Marine salvage work may require a deposit before work will begin unless the Captain on scene determines there is a serious threat to the stranded vessel or her crew or if the on scene situation makes communication unfeasible.  Marine salvage situation are usually covered by the vessel’s hull insurance policy by reimbursement to the insured, therefore, any payments received by the vessel owner for marine salvage services provided by MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA from their insurance company, which have not already been paid for, shall be the property of MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA and due upon receipt.  MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA reserves the right to decline to provide service due to the posting of small craft warnings at the local Coast Guard Station and/or NOAA weather, or other adverse weather conditions or other safety concerns.  MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA may also decline to provide any of the above described services until such time that the member can provide MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA with the Latitude and Longitude of the disabled vessel’s location.  MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA will not be held liable for any damages to the covered vessel or her crew arising from services provided or lack thereof, response delays due to weather, position of vessel, availability of assistance vessel, peak traffic times or other reasons deemed beyond our control.  This membership has no provisions for coverage of services provided by any other marine service provider other than Marine Assist Network Responders.  If you use another marine service provider you will be responsible for the entire bill in full.  If a Marine Assist Network Responder is not available in the member coverage area and service is needed, there is the ability for the member in good standing to be reimbursed up to $500.00 once per membership year for services performed by another tow company with prior approval from MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA.  It is highly suggested when a member plans to travel outside the local coverage area stated above, the member should contact MARINE ASSIST ASHTABULA prior to departure to find the location of other Marine Assist Network Responders.  Payment of this membership constitutes this agreement