The Large Yacht Code (LY) mainly deals with issues such as construction and manning standards specific to yachts:
• over 24 m in loadline length
• not carrying cargo
• carrying no more than 12 passengers
»Passenger« means any person carried in[ds_preview] a ship except a person employed or engaged in any capacity on board the ship on the business of the ship or a child under one year of age
• up to 3,000 Gross Tonnes (GT)
• used in commercial use for sports / pleasure It is only recommended that pleasure vessels comply with the standards of the LY2 Code.
LY1
In 1998 the Uk’s Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) introduced the »Code of Practice for the Safety of Large Commercial Sailing and Motor Vessels«, a set of requirements more suited to yachts than the regulations in the SOLAS, Load Line and STCW conventions of the IMO. This was made possible by the conventions’ provisions for Flag States to adopt equivalent standards.
The Code sets standards of safety and pollution prevention, which are appropriate to the size and operation of the vessel. For vessels of this size, standards are normally set by the relevant international conventions. As with the codes for small vessels, it was recognised that LY1 would have to be revised to take account of advances in technology and changes of practice. This revision has taken place in consultation with the Large Yacht Industry. All comments from that consultation have been considered by working groups comprising experts from the international large yacht industry.
The Code quickly became known as the MCA Code, but its origin actually lay with the Isle of Man Shipping Registry who first identified the need to create such a code. The MCA spearheaded the development of the code, because whilst all the British Registries are Flag State in their own right, only the UK is a contracting government to the IMO Conventions, and the other British Flags are represented by proxy.
Upon the completion of the Code in December 1999, the MCA formally advised of its intention to use the Code to certificate large yachts instead of the applicable requirements in the conventions. This was then circulated by the IMO amongst the other contracting governments in accordance with the IMO protocol.
LY2
In 2004 the Large Commercial Yacht Code was revised and re-issued as LY2, in UK Merchant Shipping Notice 1792. The difference between LY2 and the original code are generally very subtle. The most significant changes in LY2:
• Introduction of the category »Short Range Yacht« – existing vessel under 500 GT or a new vessel under 300 GT, restricted to operating in forecast or actual wind of a maximum Beaufort Force 4, and within 60 nautical miles of a safe haven. Permitting reduced standards to be met for damage stability, construction, structural fire protection and weathertight integrity. Additionally, provided that the yacht can demonstrate adequate maneuverability for man-overboard recovery; there is no need for a Rescue Boat to be carried.
• Upper limit for all applications of the code to 3,000 GT. Existing yachts exceeding 3,000 GT which are already operating within the code may remain within the code.
• Sail training vessels are included in this application.
• The provisions of LY2 require standards of safety and pollution prevention, which are appropriate to the size of the vessel
• All yachts over 500 GT must have fixed fire extinguishing systems throughout the accommodation and service spaces, even those that are certified later.
• All yachts must be classed with a recognised organization, such as the Lloyds Register, ABS, BV, DNV or RINA.
The future of the Code
Further to the technical standards for helicopter landing areas being issued as amendment 1 to MSN1792, it is intended to produce a consolidated version of »The Large Commercial Yacht Code«, incorporating Amendment 1 and any other editorial changes and major updates throughout the code, as LY3. It is not intended that the scope of LY3 will include the carriage of more than 12 passengers.
The Red Ensign Group
The Red Ensign Group is comprised of the United Kingdom, UK Crown Dependencies (Isle of Man, Guernsey and Jersey) and UK Overseas Territories (Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, St Helena and the Turks & Caicos Islands) who operate shipping registers. Any vessel registered in the UK, Crown Dependency or UK Overseas Territory is a »British ship« and is entitled to fly the Red Ensign flag. Certificates issued by these Governments are of equal »value« and should be accepted by each other.
Yachts are advertising as being MCA compliant will generally have been built under survey and certificated by the MCA or CISR, but if the flag at delivery is a non-British Country the MCA or CISR will issue a Letter of Compliance instead of a Certificate of Compliance. Only the Authorities of the country in which a vessel is registered can issue certificates to it.
The 1995 Merchant Shipping Act provides for British possessions to be categorised according to the tonnage, size and type of vessel into two Registers (see table 1).
RH
