The Passenger Yacht Code (PYC) has been in existence for five years and is gaining traction. Spearheaded by the Cayman Islands Shipping Registry, the code was devised to offer a more yacht-friendly alternative to rigid SOLAS requirements, and as passenger number demands increase, so do the limitations placed on builders, naval architects and guests by commercial regulations.
The purpose of the code is to relax some of these rules, while still providing a constructional and operational framework that is robust enough to ensure superyachts remain safe. And some of its key contributors over the years are among the industry’s most respected regulatory minds.
However, when sitting in on a five-year review of the code at the Global Superyacht Forum led by two of these key former contributors – Wright Maritime Group’s Pete Southgate and Döhle Yachts Richie Blake – the view among attendees was that it’s still not quite relaxed enough.
The main query was relating to the fairly arbitrary on board personnel limit of 120. The view shared among some of the builders in attendance was that this number was too low to deliver the modern superyacht experience, and that it should be raised or lifted altogether. There was also some disquiet about the stringency of manning requirements and engine room supervision.
Like the MCA’s Large Yacht Code, which is now onto its third edition, the PYC is a living document, which is constantly being finessed and improved. As such, the 2016 version will include a sailing yacht-specific code to accommodate their burgeoning size and scope.
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Contact Richie Blake: RBlake@dohle-yachts.com
