Definition
The REG Yacht Code is the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code, the standard that governs the design, construction, safety equipment, and operation of large yachts registered with Red Ensign Group flag states. It is the framework against which a commercial superyacht is surveyed and certified, and it sets the rules a tender or chase boat must fit into once carried aboard.
Background and use
The Code came into effect on 1 January 2019, consolidating two earlier instruments: the Large Yacht Code (LY3) became Part A, and the Passenger Yacht Code became Part B. The two parts share common annexes wherever requirements overlap. The first major revision since 2019 was published in early 2024 and came into force in July 2024.
Part A applies to yachts of 24 metres and over in load line length that are in commercial use for sport or pleasure, carry no cargo, and carry no more than 12 passengers. Part B applies to pleasure yachts of any size, in private use or in trade, that carry no cargo and carry more than 12 but not more than 36 passengers. The structure reflects the practical reality that a large charter yacht and a private yacht carrying many guests face different risk profiles, so the survey regime adapts accordingly.
The Code is maintained by the Red Ensign Group, the collective of British shipping registers that includes the UK, the Isle of Man, Gibraltar, the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, and others. Because so much of the world fleet flies a Red Ensign Group flag, the REG Yacht Code is one of the most widely encountered standards in the industry, and classification societies survey to it routinely.
For tender and chase-boat buyers the Code matters because it sets the parent yacht's expectations for stowage, launch and recovery arrangements, and the safety equipment a carried craft must hold. A tender bought for a REG-coded yacht should be specified with the relevant code requirements in mind, since a craft that cannot satisfy the survey will not be accepted aboard. Confirm the applicable part and edition with the yacht's flag and class before committing to a build.
Related considerations
- Confirm whether the parent yacht is certified under Part A or Part B, as the carried-craft expectations differ.
- The 2024 edition introduced changes from the 2019 text; verify which edition the yacht is surveyed against.
- Red Ensign Group flags share the Code but may issue their own guidance notes; check the specific register.
- Launch and recovery arrangements for tenders are scrutinised under the Code, so davit and stowage design should be agreed early.
- The Code interacts with SOLAS and the LSA Code for safety equipment; treat them together, not in isolation.