As Hamilton explained, although LY2 is now running well behind schedule, the output of the various working groups established by the MCA has now been received, drafts of new chapters have been produced and are being circulated back to the working groups, and he is hopeful that the new chapters will be available for industry to begin using early next year.

A number of European countries are planning new national regulations governing the design and construction of superyachts that will, in many cases, be based on LY2, believes Hamilton.

The most vociferous criticism has come from the Federation of French Nautical Industries (FIN), whose technical director, Gregoire Dolto, is determined to see a new "Euro Code" for large yachts that would quite different from LY2.

In fact, Dolto explained to BB on his way to the Cannes boat show, where the whole subject of regulations for large yachts was due to be discussed, that what he and supporters would really like to see is a EU Directive for design and construction of large yachts, although he admits that this may be some way off.

Dolto confirmed that one way forward for the advocates of the Euro Code might be to produce new standards via and ISO Technical Committee, in this case, TC8. Once produced, Dolto wants to take the standard, or set of standards, to the IMO for approval.

De facto standard The MCA began work on revising the Large Yacht Code, the de facto international standard for the design and operation of commercially operated superyachts and megayachts, at the end of 2002, partly in response to criticism of the code from the marine industry.

Although widely used, criticism of LY1 has arisen because the industry claims it was introduced after little discussion with designers and builders of large leisure craft and that it forces designers and builders to comply with many regulations affecting design and construction that are expensive, and in some cases, unnecessary.

This drives up the complexity and cost of many superyachts and megayachts, it is claimed, and has also led to many delays in construction.

Moreover, claimed industry representatives, although the safety regulations in the code have been welcomed, they say more recently administration of the code is being driven by brokers and charterers, many of whom, it is said, are of the opinion that all large craft will need to be certified by the MCA or would be "difficult to sell" if the new owner wanted to charter the boat.

The beginnings of the review can be traced to the Yacht Vision 2002 symposium in New Zealand, where the pros and cons of the code were debated by representatives of the MCA and classification society Lloyds Register, together with owners, designers and builders.

At the symposium it was agreed industry bodies - such as The Superyacht Society - would be given the chance to have input into the LY1 review process.

Seeking equivalence LY1 applies to power or sail superyachts constructed from steel, aluminium, wood or fibre-reinforced plastics of 24m loa or more and has been in operation now for five or six years.

Undoubtedly, many of the problems associated with using the code derive from the fact that, when it developed LY1, the MCA's approach was to seek "equivalence" with IMO standards, such as SOLAS and Load Line.

This, claim critics of the code, resulted in many rules and regulations that are suitable for commercial craft, but unsuitable for large leisure craft.

This being the case, in developing LY2, the MCA is trying to make the Large Yacht Code more "user friendly" and, at the same time, take account of changes in modern superyacht design and construction.

As the MCA explained to Safety at Sea, the main reasons for revising the code are: to bring it up to date; to incorporate current accepted interpretations; to make the code easier to understand and clarify unclear areas; to address any areas that were not included in LY1 (that is, the shorthand for original code); to closely involve industry in the creation of LY2; and to make the revised code far more generic, so that it is far easier for other administrations to adopt, wherever possible removing references to UK regulations and referencing IMO or other standards.

One of the key issues driving the review is that the size and complexity of superyachts has increased significantly in the last few years.

Whereas 10 years ago a 50m yacht represented the upper end of the superyacht fleet, now vessels of in excess of 100m are being built.

Undoubtedly, there is much cross over nowadays in equipment specified for large leisure craft and commercial craft in terms of design and construction, materials, machinery, and on board equipment.

But if LY2 is to be a success, and easier to use than its predecessor, the MCA will need to distinguish very clearly between standards for commercial vessels and large leisure craft and those that are applicable to the commercial sector but require modification, or modification in the way that they are applied, in the leisure sector.

Structural fire protection under examination Recognising these differences, the MCA has, from the outset of the review, clearly identified areas in which large yachts differ from large passenger vessels - areas such as structural fire protection, fire protection and evacuation systems.

Published material available from the MCA also highlighted the fact that weathertight integrity, particularly windows, has long been a source of concern with LY1, as have issues such as the application of the International Loadlines Convention with respect to requirements for door and hatch coamings, and ventilator air pipes.

An in-depth review of structural fire protection has been an essential part of the review, having caused many problems for builders of large yachts, and the MCA has acknowledged that there needs to be greater provision for non-steel vessels and to take into account "high tech" solutions proposed based on those developed in the aeronautical industry.

"There may also be lessons to be learned from the High Speed Code in relating to structural fire protection requirements to evacuation times, " notes the MCA.

Euro Code wins support More recently, criticism of the LY1 review process has again flared up, particularly in France, where Gregoire Dolto has been outspoken in his views on the code.

Dolto remains a staunch critic of the whole concept of seeking "equivalence" with IMO standards, believing that developing a completely new European or international code, from first principles, is the best way forward, although his suggestion that the technical committee at the International Council of Marine Industry Associations (ICOMIA) should do so does not seem to have made much headway to date.

Criticism that industry is not sufficiently involved in the process is rebuffed by Hamilton, too, who explained that the review process is based on two working groups: Manning; and Construction & Equipment, which is responsible for considering comments and suggestions from industry, the Construction & Equipment Working Group including representatives of many yacht builders and designers and marine equipment companies, including Alloy Yachts in New Zealand, Amels in The Netherlands, classification society Lloyd's Register, Perini Navi in Italy, Sunseeker in the UK, and designers Ron Holland Yacht Design and Dubois Yachts.

MCA plans large yacht seminar in Barcelona MCA Ensign is organising an international seminar in Barcelona on November 6 and 7, focusing on the dynamics of the large yacht industry.

Designers, builders, innovators, owners, operators and surveyors will all benefit from this event, says the MCA, and it will assist them in moving forward within the large yacht industry.

The event will include a wide range of relevant seminar topics, which will provide the opportunity for delegates to hear first hand about large passenger yachts - the next achievable generation of superyachts, highspeed motor yachts, and the MCA Code of Practice.

There will be workshops and satellite presentations, which will focus on a wide range of current issues at the cutting edge of the industry, including stability solutions, security on yachts, search and rescue, and shipbuilders' transition to large yacht construction.

Highlights include presentations of an owner's perspective; an Asian approach to large yacht production and amphibious superyacht tenders.

There will also be opportunities to attend surgeries and discuss topics raised during presentations on a one-to-one basis.

There are limited places, so it is recommended that places are booked as soon as possible. Further information and registration details may be obtained at large_yachts@mcga.gov.uk or the MCA web site www.mcga.gov.uk