AW BYRDE & ASSOCIATES
Yacht Surveys & Small-Craft Surveys
Associate Member of the Yacht Designers & Surveyors Association
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AW BYRDE & ASSOCIATES Yacht Surveys & Small-Craft Surveys Associate Member of the Yacht Designers & Surveyors Association
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SCV (MCA Small Commercial Vessels) Coding All advice and comment on this page is for guidance only. For definitive advice on and interpretation of the Code etc you should consult the Department of Transport, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency or the YDSA Certifying Authority. If you plan to use any form of pleasure craft for commercial purposes it must by law conform to the Maritime & Coastguard Agency's Code of Practice. At the time of writing, this code is still in draft, and is published on the MCA's website under the heading "SMALL COMMERCIAL VESSELS & PILOT BOAT CODE OF PRACTICE MGN 280 (M) November 2004" In essence, UK vessels in commercial use, up to 24 metres in length and which go to sea carrying no more than 12 passengers and/or cargo, need to comply with the Code of Practice. The code covers:
The code may be found by clicking on mgn_280.pdf for reading in PDF format. This is the 'Harmonised Code' which combines all the previous Yellow, Blue, Red and Brown codes. Those codes may under some circumstances be used as an alternative, as the 'Harmonised Code' has yet to be finally completed in all respects. However, the old individual code books are no longer readily available. The YDSA is a Certifying Authority on behalf of the MCA and our Nominated Surveyors are authorised to carry out Compliance Examinations to enable vessels to be certificated under the Code. I am one of the YDSA Certifying Authority's Nominated Surveyors for vessels seeking Coding. (For more details look at www.ybdsa.co.uk ). The process is not too complicated, but it is worthwhile obtaining the appropriate documents and studying them carefully. As with much recent Government legislation, the process is 'Consumer-Led' - so that (in outline) the Owner or Skipper prepares the vessel and the Code documentation for the surveyor to inspect, consider and (hopefully) agree on the day. The forms are then sent to the Certifying Authority for approval and allocation of a category. Naturally, for those not familiar with the coding process, some guidance will be needed, and I am always happy to run through the process to make it as straightforward as possible. If you are already registered with another Certifying Authority, you can easily transfer to the YDSA at no extra cost. The application form SCV1 can be obtained at Coding Application Form SCV1
The feed for the Compliance Examination are paid directly to the Surveyor. A guide estimate for an under 15-metre vessel would be £45 per metre length overall. This assumes that the vessel is presented for examination complying in full with the Code requirements. An additional charge may be required for a return visit. The fees do not include the costs of providing stability data required to obtain a stability category.
All advice and comment on this page is for guidance only. For definitive advice on and interpretation of the Code etc you should consult the Department of Transport, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency or the YDSA Certifying Authority.
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