Shake up of rules governing pleasure craft
Boat owners are being urged to comment on a new code of practice on the use of pleasure craft for commercial purposes.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is currently consulting on the Code of Practice for Intended Pleasure Vessels in Commercial Use at Sea, known as the IPV Code, which will be introduced on 1 January 2019.
It has been drawn up in partnership with British Marine, the RYA and the Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association. The code covers the use of a pleasure vessel for business purposes and at sea as a race support boat.
For race support, the code applies to open boats such as RIBS as well as decked vessels under 8 metres/ 26.3ft. Vessels can be used up to 10 times a year as a race support boat in UK coastal waters.
Operators are required to fill out a self declaration certificate, which includes the owner’s authorisation for intended use and agreement to implement a safety management system which coincides with race management guidelines. The IPV Code is also significant for the UK marine business sector and owners as it allows them to use a pleasure vessel at sea on a single-voyage basis for business purposes relating to sale, repair, post-repair or mid-survey sea trials, customer sea trials and vessel delivery.
Previously, there was a costly requirement to apply the fully commercial vessel codes normally associated with these activities. The public consultation ends on 26 September 2018.
Further information about the new code is available at www.gov.uk/ government/consultations/intendedpleasure-vessel-ipv-code-pleasurevessel-exemptions.