Classification societies join forces to form Yacht Safety and Environmental Consortium

A group of top global classification societies—DNV, Lloyd’s Register (LR), RINA, Bureau Veritas (BV), and ABS—announced a major step for the yacht industry. At the 2024 Monaco Yacht Show, they introduced the Yacht Safety and Environmental Consortium (YSEC). This new consortium will work to improve the safety and environmental standards of yachts.

Why Is This Consortium Important?

Yachts over 24 meters long, both commercial and pleasure types, have different rules than other ships. Unlike most vessels, yachts do not fully follow the same safety and environmental guidelines set by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). This gap in regulations has made it harder to maintain high safety standards across the yacht industry.

The new consortium, YSEC, will help change that. It will give advice and share the best practices to ensure yachts are both safe and eco-friendly. The consortium members—DNV, LR, RINA, BV, and ABS—bring together years of experience in the shipping industry. They will work together to tackle challenges in yacht design, operation, and maintenance. Their goal is to ensure yachts are not only luxurious but also meet the highest safety and sustainability standards.

What Will the Consortium Do?

The YSEC will focus on improving the safety and environmental behavior of yachts. This includes:

1. Advising on Best Practices: The group will share advice on how yachts can operate more safely and in an eco-friendly way.
2. Setting Industry Standards: The consortium will create guidelines for the yacht industry to follow, similar to what IACS does for other ships.
3. Encouraging Collaboration: By working together, the group hopes to solve common problems faced by the yacht industry, such as how to build more sustainable yachts.

The group has already started working on important topics like environmental guidelines and how yachts should be measured for tonnage and load lines. The consortium will appoint a chairperson and vice-chair every two years, ensuring that each member gets a turn to lead.

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Leaders in the Yacht Industry Speak Out

Many key figures in the yacht industry are excited about this new group:

• Martin Richter, from DNV, said that working together is vital to achieving the best standards in yacht safety and protecting the environment.
• Engel-Jan de Boer, from Lloyd’s Register, believes that this collaboration will allow the industry to tackle safety and environmental challenges better than ever before.
• Fiorenzo Spadoni, from RINA, sees the YSEC as a big moment for the yacht industry. He emphasized the importance of safety at sea and environmental protection, which must be the focus for everyone involved.
• Andreas Ullrich, from Bureau Veritas, highlighted how the consortium will help push forward new standards for safety and sustainability.
• Daniele Bottino, from ABS, said the project has been in the works for over a year, and they are excited to finally see it come to life. He stressed that collaboration across the industry is key to developing innovative solutions for yacht sustainability challenges.

Looking to the Future

The Yacht Safety and Environmental Consortium (YSEC) aims to play a crucial role in shaping the future of yachting. By bringing together the knowledge and experience of top organizations, the group will work hard to make sure yachts are safer and more sustainable. This will not only help the industry meet modern standards but also make yachting a more eco-friendly luxury for the future.

In the coming years, YSEC will lead initiatives that push for new safety rules, better environmental practices, and closer cooperation across the yacht industry. For yacht owners and builders, this is an important step forward that promises to make the seas a safer and cleaner place.