Further to the response we published from the British Marine Federation (BMF) in our April issue, we received the following comment from Navigators & General to assure its clients there was nothing to worry about.

‘We would take quite a practical approach in this instance. We do not have any specific warranty in our policy that requires the vessel to comply with the RCD, however we would obviously recommend and support that it should be,’ said Richard Coleman, head of Navigators and General. ‘The main warranty that is relevant in this case is that the vessel should be in a “seaworthy condition”. If therefore, a minor modification was made that invalidated the RCD, but the craft remained in a seaworthy condition, then the insurance would not be affected. Clearly, however, if modifications made the vessel unseaworthy then the insurance cover would be invalidated, and I expect most customers would accept we couldn't insure a vessel if this were the case.”

It is likely therefore the vast majority would be covered, even if they technically breached the RCD with some minor work, he added, concluding: ‘If they are in any doubt as to whether the vessel is seaworthy or not they could appoint a professional surveyor to sign off any modifications.’