Boat owners asked views on new MCA Code
Members of the boating community are being encouraged to have their say on the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s new Code of Practice for Intended Pleasure Vessels.
Photo by Baggy Robinson
The public consultation launches today (August 1st) and runs for eight weeks until September 26th.
The Code of Practice for Intended Pleasure Vessels (IPV Code) and its supporting Guidance Notices - which will be introduced on January 1st 2019 - address temporary commercial use either for business purposes or as a race support boat.
The MCA is urging the boating community to read through the proposals on how they plan to make the water a safer place for everyone while giving the opportunity to legitimately operate commercially on a temporary basis for certain activities.
Additionally, the MCA is replacing Marine Guidance Notice 538 on Pleasure Vessels which introduces exemptions that mark a significant positive step for the Pleasure Vessel manufacturing sector in the UK and phases out the use of ORC liferafts.
Ian Lardner, Head of Marine Technology for the MCA said: ‘We have been working extremely closely with our partners at British Marine (BM), Royal Yachting Association (RYA) and the Yacht Brokers, Designers and Surveyors Association (YBDSA) to bring about this very positive and significant step for the boating community.
"The new IPV Code allows people to use their Pleasure Vessels on a temporary single-voyage basis for sea trials, deliveries or race support activities, without using the existing commercial vessel codes which are intended for a more longer-term commercial use. We’re providing a simple means of compliance to rules that have always existed, with negligible burdens. We all think this a huge step forward and we hope as many people as possible will take the time to read through the consultation to see if there are any further developments we could consider."
Once the external consultation has closed, the MCA will draft a final set of proposals of the new IPV Code. Any new development changes within the Code will be published accordingly.
More information about the public consultation can be found on the MCA website - Code of Practice for Intended Pleasure Vessels .
Anyone wishing to contribute their thoughts to this public consultation or requiring a hard copy of the consultation is asked to email PleasureVessels@mcga.gov.uk .