Small Commercial Vessels

All UK owned Small Commercial Vessels must comply with the relevant Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) Codes of Practice and be certificated by an Authorised Certifying Authority, of which the YDSA Certifying Authority is the largest.

A Small Commercial Vessel is defined as "a vessel in commercial use that:

• Is up to 24 metres load line length
• Carries no more than 12 passengers (i.e. excluding crew)

Does my Vessel need to be Coded?

If you charter your boat or use it commercially, you must comply with the Codes of Practice. This includes occasional commercial use as well as permanent use and also includes boats such as sport fishing boats, RIBs used for rides for the public, boats taking workers out to wind farms and oil rigs, etc.  There are many different Codes of Practice that cover:

• Sailing charter vessels, including skippered and bareboat
• Motor charter vessels, including angling and dive boats
• RIBs operating commercially
• Workboats
• Pilot boats
• Police boats
• Hovercraft
• Intended Pleasure Vessel (IPV) Code - for occasional commercial use such as sea trials and deliveries for which coding is not required

You will need to use one of our Coding Surveyors to perform an initial Compliance Examination. Along with the appropriate paperwork, this starts a certification cycle lasting five years.  

Scroll down for all the forms, fees and payment options.

What is the five year cycle?

This five year cycle is subject to annual renewals and will require additional surveys to be performed by your Nominated Coding Surveyor, the frequency of which depends on the Code of Practice and the nature of your boat’s operations.

Overseas Administrations

We are also an authorised Certifying Authority for the following overseas administrations that are part of the Red Ensign Group:

• British Virgin Islands - www.vishipping.gov.vg
• Cayman Islands - www.cishipping.com
• Gibraltar - www.gibraltar.gov.gi
• Guernsey - www.guernseyharbours.gov.gg
• Jersey - www.ports.je