Definition
The Workboat Code is the Maritime and Coastguard Agency code of practice that sets safety, construction, equipment, and operational standards for small commercial vessels and pilot boats of up to 24 metres in length. It is the route by which a working craft such as a commercial RIB or chase boat is certified for use in UK waters when it falls below the SOLAS size thresholds.
Background and use
The current version, Workboat Code Edition 3, was published on 22 November 2023 and came into force on 13 December 2023, sitting on top of the Merchant Shipping (Small Workboats and Pilot Boats) Regulations 2023. It consolidated earlier guidance into a single publication and, for the first time, brought remotely operated unmanned vessels and craft using alternative fuels and propulsion within scope. It also added safety rules for lithium-ion batteries used in propulsion systems.
The Code covers a wide range of working craft, including charter vessels, dive boats, angling vessels, sailing school vessels, RIBs, pilot boats, and general workboats. Compliance is demonstrated through survey by a Certifying Authority authorised by the MCA, which issues a certificate once the vessel meets the construction, stability, equipment, and crewing requirements. Edition 3 is mandatory for new workboats and pilot boats from the date it came into force, and existing vessels move onto it through their normal certification cycle.
For the superyacht world the Workboat Code is most relevant to support and chase boats that operate commercially under a UK or Red Ensign Group flag, or to tenders that are themselves used in a commercial capacity. Because the Code addresses craft below 24 metres, it fills the gap left by SOLAS and the larger yacht codes, giving operators a recognised compliance path for the fast, capable craft that increasingly shadow large yachts. Specifying a chase boat against the Workboat Code from the outset avoids costly retrofits, since stability, freeboard, and equipment all flow from the certification requirements.
Related considerations
- The Code applies to vessels up to 24 metres; above this length, other instruments such as the REG Yacht Code take over.
- Edition 3 introduced provisions for alternative fuels and lithium-ion propulsion; confirm these where relevant to your build.
- Certification is through an MCA-authorised Certifying Authority, not the MCA directly, so allow time for survey scheduling.
- Stability and freeboard requirements should be designed in early, as they are difficult to alter after build.
- Pilot boats fall within the same Code, which is why some chase-boat hull forms borrow from pilot-boat design.