So far the harmonisation process has taken 15 months. It was due to be ready in spring but it is now hoped that it should come in at the end of this year.

"It's been delayed a bit, " explained Robin Raphael of the MCA, "and we've had five major meetings trying to align all the codes but we won't put anything into effect until it has had the widest consultation."

To date, MCA committees have been consulting with marine industry designers, builders, operators and regulators. Some 5,000 consultation documents have been issued and it is seen as vital that when a new system is introduced it will be legislation that has been arrived at by consensus.

"Our remit was to update the codes and try and bring them more into line with each other.

But today you don't just put something out as a government agency and say you will dothis, " added Raphael. "People can invite themselves to be part of the consultative process and the harmonisation of the codes is far more industry influenced than anything else to be honest."

If there's a general consensus that something is totally wrong as far as the industry is concerned then we will change it, he added.

The manuals that cover all the different codes at present try to distil all the codes of practice into one document.

There are four codes involved ( see sidebar ) and a fifth due to be reviewed next year.

Better safe than sorry Despite the delays it's seen as better to take time to avoid confusion in the future. (A policy which may interest some European legislators. ) "The MCA's harmonisation process has been slow but it's better they get it right than rush into it, " said Charlie Mill, managing director of Ocean Safety. "It is a big project they are taking on. They are trying to encompass everything and there are sub committees working on this and sub committees working on that.

The workload is phenomenal."

The codes under review only apply to British commercial vessels but in the new panEuropean legislative climate Mill envisages that the day can't be far away when the regulations governing non-commercial leisure craft under 13.7m will also come under review. Vessels 13.7m and over are already obliged to comply with merchant shipping regulations.

"The UK is now the only European partner that doesn't have minimum safety requirements for leisure vessels, " he said. "There's nothing to say you can't drink and drive a Sunseeker at 40 knots or buy a brand new 40ft yacht and sail off without fitting any safety equipment at all."

The UK leisure market is behind, he added, and one day legislation will come and my feeling is it would be better if it was sooner rather than later.

The MCA is also increasing the number of small vessel inspectors to check coded and uncoded vessels. The MCA hopes their presence will help educate boat owners and ensure unscrupulous operators are identified.