New UK rules for commercial sport and pleasure vessels

From 12 December 2025, the UK brings in the Merchant Shipping (Vessels in Commercial Use for Sport or Pleasure) Regulations 2025. Made on 17 November and laid before Parliament on 20 November, they replace the 1998 rules and turn key parts of two safety codes into law for relevant boats. The official source is legislation.gov.uk, with technical material from the Department for Transport and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

Who is covered? If you operate a UK seagoing vessel anywhere in the world, or a non‑UK seagoing vessel from a UK port while in UK waters, and you use it commercially for sport or pleasure, these rules apply. They do not cover passenger ships carrying more than 12 passengers, private pleasure vessels, or craft already regulated by the High Speed Offshore Service Craft Regulations 2022. What it means: charter skippers, sailing schools, RIB tour operators and similar outfits should read on.

Vessel categories are simple. A small vessel is under 24 metres in load line length (or under 150 gross tons if built before 21 July 1968). A large vessel is 24 metres or more. An 'intended pleasure vessel' is a private boat on a single sea voyage for sale, repair, sea trials or delivery; it is treated as a pleasure vessel immediately before and after that trip. A 'passenger' is anyone who is not crew and not a child under one year old.

Two codes sit underneath these Regulations. Large vessels must meet Part A of the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code (with its Common Annexes). Small vessels must meet the Sport or Pleasure Vessel Code issued by the MCA. The 2025 Regulations make the mandatory parts of those codes enforceable. What it means: your compliance will be judged against the relevant code, not just general good practice.

Certificates are the proof. Large vessels need a valid Certificate of Compliance plus any other documents listed in Annex M of the Code. Small vessels need a valid Small Sport or Pleasure Code Certificate. Certificates can run for up to five years. If a renewal survey or examination has been completed but paperwork cannot be issued in time, a Certifying Authority may extend the existing certificate by up to three months.

A certificate stops being valid if ownership changes, if required surveys or examinations are missed, if you make a material change without approval, if the document expires or is replaced, if a reportable incident is not reported, or if damage/defects amount to a material change. 'Material' means anything likely to affect safety, health or compliance with the code.

For large vessels, surveys follow the UK survey and certification regime as adapted by the Yacht Code. You will have an initial and renewal survey, with annual, intermediate or periodical checks in between. After a reportable incident, a Certifying Authority can require an additional survey. A Certifying Authority issues or endorses the Certificate of Compliance only when the surveyor confirms compliance.

For small vessels, the pattern is clear to plan around. You must pass a compliance examination before entering service, a renewal examination every five years, an annual examination within three months either side of the anniversary date, and an intermediate examination around the second or third anniversary. After a reportable incident, an emergency examination may be required. Where an approved competent person conducts an annual examination, references to the 'surveyor' include that person.

Exemptions and equivalents exist but are controlled. The Secretary of State may exempt large vessels that meet the Yacht Code’s exemption tests, or in exceptional cases may exempt any vessel where strict compliance is impracticable or unreasonable, often with extra safety conditions attached. The Secretary of State may also approve equivalent arrangements if they are at least as effective as the code requirements.

Small vessels used in racing, as race support boats, or operating as beach craft can use tailored equivalents when the code’s specific safety conditions are fully met. Equipment required by these rules must be approved by the Secretary of State or an authorised person unless it falls under the separate Marine Equipment Regulations 2016. Where the code calls for 'Administration' approval, the UK Secretary of State fills that role for UK ships.

Owners and masters must keep the vessel and its equipment fit to go to sea without danger and must not alter surveyed arrangements without approval, except by direct replacement. If the vessel is involved in a collision, a grounding that was not part of the planned operation, a fire, or any event that endangers people, the vessel or the marine environment - including hull, keel, rudder, underwater fittings, propulsion or rig, steering, machinery or other safety‑critical failures - you must report it promptly to your Certifying Authority.

Once a report is made, the Authority decides whether to order an additional survey (large vessel) or an emergency examination (small vessel) and will notify you. This is about catching unseen damage early and stopping minor defects becoming major risks.

If a surveyor finds that a vessel or its equipment no longer matches the certificate, is not fit for a safe voyage, or poses an unreasonable threat to the marine environment, the surveyor will set out corrective action and a timeframe. If action is not taken, the Certifying Authority may suspend the certificate and later cancel it if no satisfactory report is received within three months, allowing extensions if good progress is shown. The Secretary of State can also require suspension or cancellation.

Enforcement has teeth. It is an offence to send a vessel to sea in breach of these requirements, and an offence to tamper with certificates, make false certificates, give false information during surveys, use someone else’s certificate to deceive, or refuse to surrender a cancelled certificate. On indictment, penalties can include up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. It is a defence to show you took all reasonable steps to avoid the offence.

If you disagree with a survey outcome, you can ask your Certifying Authority for a review within 21 days, giving reasons and any evidence. You may have a representative or adviser contribute evidence. If you still disagree after the review, you can seek arbitration by a single qualified arbitrator with maritime or legal expertise; the process follows Merchant Shipping Notice M.1613 unless another route is agreed beforehand.

These Regulations also tidy the wider rulebook. When you hold a valid certificate under this regime, a list of overlapping UK instruments is disapplied to avoid duplication (see Schedules 3 and 4). Schedule 1 updates connected regulations on registration, labour and fees so the references point to the 2025 framework. For transparency, the Explanatory Note signposts the official codes and MCA contacts.

Some provisions now also apply to watercraft (such as certain personal watercraft) via the Merchant Shipping (Watercraft) Order 2023, including small‑vessel requirements, offences and detention. If you operate powered watercraft from UK waters on a commercial basis, read the official notes from the MCA or legislation.gov.uk and check what applies before the holiday season.

What this means for you in practice: if you run a charter yacht of 24 metres or more, plan for the Yacht Code survey regime and keep your Certificate of Compliance and related documents on board and in date. If you operate a RIB tour or sailing school under 24 metres, book your compliance examination, set reminders for annual and intermediate checks, and keep your Small Sport or Pleasure Code Certificate current.

If your boat is purely private but you are making a single sea trip for sale, repair, sea trials or delivery, that voyage is treated as an intended pleasure vessel, so these commercial‑use rules are not aimed at you on that passage. General safety law and other duties still apply, so keep standards high and records clear.

Quick glossary for students and skippers: a Certificate of Compliance is the main document for large vessels confirming they meet the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code at survey; a Small Sport or Pleasure Code Certificate is the equivalent for small vessels. A Certifying Authority is an approved organisation that surveys and issues or endorses certificates. Load line length is the measurement used to decide whether a vessel is ‘small’ or ‘large’ here, and the anniversary date is the day and month each year tied to a certificate’s expiry that sets the timing window for annual and intermediate checks. 'Seagoing' means beyond inland Category A–D waters defined by the MCA. A 'material change' is any alteration that affects safety, health or compliance with the code and can void a certificate if unapproved, so always ask before you modify equipment or layout. This language comes directly from the legislation and the codes and is worth learning by heart for exams and onboard briefings alike. Q&A part 1: Does this apply to my 10‑metre RIB doing paid coastal trips? Yes. It is a small vessel in commercial use; you need a compliance examination, a Small Sport or Pleasure Code Certificate, and ongoing annual and intermediate checks. Can I carry 14 paying passengers under this framework? No. Vessels carrying more than twelve passengers are outside these Regulations and fall under passenger ship rules instead. Plan your business model and safety management with that limit in mind. We’re delivering a private yacht to a buyer on a single sea voyage - do these Regulations bite? No. That trip is an intended pleasure vessel voyage, treated as a pleasure vessel, so these commercial‑use rules do not apply during that single passage, though general safety obligations still stand. Q&A part 2: Our race support boat uses alternative kit - is that allowed? Potentially, yes. The Secretary of State can approve equivalent arrangements for race vessels, race support boats or beach craft when the Sport or Pleasure Vessel Code’s safety conditions are met. Who approves equipment? Unless an item is covered by the Marine Equipment Regulations 2016, approval comes from the Secretary of State or an authorised person. Always check the latest MCA guidance before you buy. Where can I read the official text? The Regulations are published on legislation.gov.uk, and the Red Ensign Group Yacht Code and the Sport or Pleasure Vessel Code are available from the MCA. Those sources are cited in the Explanatory Note so you can cross‑check details before audit or survey.