The British Red Ensign Group (REG) has come a step closer to establishing its new international code aimed at the needs and requirement of superyachts carrying more than 12 — but less than 36 — passengers.

Details of the latest draft of the new REG — now called the Passenger Yacht Code — will provide standards for privately operated and commercially operated yachts and the latest draft has now been posted at www.redensigngroup.org for industry input.

The PYC has been developed by the REG to address the difficulties in applying some of the existing international Convention standards — in particular SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) and the Load Line Convention — both of which were designed for cargo-carrying merchant ships rather than superyachts.

The REG insists the new code will not dilute current standards but instead provide pragmatic and practical regulations to safeguard the design, construction and operation of large yachts.

After this period of industry consultation it is expected the PYC will be lodged with the IMO (International Maritime Organization) in November as the 'official' REG-wide code for superyachts.

The PYC is expected to prove popular with yachts currently operating under the UK's Large Yacht Code which sets out standards for commercial yachts over 24m, less than 3000gt and carrying not more than 12 passengers — a code that is itself being revised over the next few months.

Superyacht Business, 29 July 2010