US waistlines lowering ships' waterlines

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On American passenger ships, expanding waistlines are lowering hull lines, forcing the authorities into action.

The United States Coast Guard has raised its average passenger weight from 72.5kg to 84kg. It is the first time it has done so since the 1960s.

That the average American is a touch portlier than 50 years ago may not come as a huge surprise but it is a blow to many commercial boat operators, who will be forced to reduce capacity.

"People have just got heavier," said Coast Guard spokeswoman Lisa Novak.

The Coast Guard has followed the lead of other transport administration bodies. The Federal Transit Administration, with responsibility for the nation's buses, still tests vehicles as if the average rider weighs 68kg. It has just proposed a jump to 79kg. Prompted by a 2003 plane crash in North Carolina, the Federal Aviation Administration has raised its average weight estimate from 77kg to near 86kg.

Ashes on the Sea, a California based company that conducts ocean burials, is concerned the new rules will force them to raise prices. Anticipating less usable space on many of the 50 boats he charters in five states, Ken Shortridge said the change could add several hundred dollars to the cost of each service.

He said overloaded boats are more likely to capsize.

Catalina Express, which annually ferries hundreds of thousands of passengers from Los Angeles to nearby Santa Catalina Island, won't be carrying any fewer.

"It won't affect us at all," said spokeswoman Elaine Vaughan.

"We usually carry less than our Coast Guard-approved capacity. That's a decision we made for comfort reasons."

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