Deck

Marshall Islands Yacht Code 2026 and Minimum Safe Manning

RMI-CODE

Modules
4
Lessons
14
Questions
70

Independent study. xplor is not affiliated with the Republic of the Marshall Islands Maritime Administrator and awards no certificate, endorsement or Certificate of Competency. A yacht's actual manning is whatever its own Minimum Safe Manning Certificate states, and Code compliance is determined only by the Administrator, its Yacht Inspectors and Recognized Organizations. AI-drafted content pending subject-matter-expert review.

Drafted from RMI Maritime Administrator publications read in September 2026: MI-103 RMI Yacht Code 2026 (Rev. May/2026; 2025 series Oct/2025; effective 1 January 2026) and MI-103 Yacht Code 2021 as amended through Aug/2023; MI-103A Yacht Compliance Requirements (Rev. Nov/2022); MI-290 Guidelines for Yacht Inspectors (Rev. Sept/2024); Marine Notices 7-038-2 Minimum Safe Manning Requirements for Vessels (Rev. Jul/2024), 1-005-2 yacht fees (Rev. Jul/2025), 2-011-53, 2-011-54 and 5-034-6 (all Mar/2024), 2-011-33 MLC programme (Jul/2024) and 7-051-2 hours of rest (Rev. 11/13); Marine Guidelines 7-38-1 and 1-11-2 (Mar/2024); IRI yacht web pages and Yacht Solutions leaflets; STCW..

Rule notes (10)

  1. Recent change

    Engineer manning counts only the largest single engine

    Marine Notice 7-038-2 (Rev. Jul/2024, §A.2.19) sets the engineer grade by the power of the single highest-powered propulsion engine, not the total installed power. Industry press reported it in March and April 2024; the rule itself appears to have come in with the Feb/2024 revision. Check the yacht's engine plate figures, not the brochure total.

    Sources

  2. Recent change

    Yacht Code 2026 replaces the 2021 Code

    MI-103 Yacht Code 2026 (Rev. May/2026) took effect on 1 January 2026. Some RMI documents have not caught up: MN 7-038-2 (Jul/2024) still cites the 2021 Code, and MI-103A (Nov/2022) still says the Inventory of Hazardous Materials applies only on EU port calls, which the 2026 Code contradicts. Where they differ, the 2026 Code is the newer text.

    Sources

  3. Sources disagree

    Minimum age for Chief Mate and First Assistant Engineer

    MI-118 (Rev. Mar/2026) gives 21; the MI-280 Filing Agents Manual (Rev. Jan/2025) gives 19. MI-118 is the certification requirement itself and the more recent revision, but confirm with the Administrator if a candidate falls between the two.

    Sources

  4. Sources disagree

    Medical for an older national CoC: one year or two?

    When the national CoC being endorsed is more than a year old, MI-118 §2.11.18 accepts a medical issued within 2 years, MI-118 Annex 7 says 1 year, and form MI-105 says 24 months. Sending a medical under a year old satisfies all three.

    Sources

  5. Rule to know

    CRA and Urgent Authorisation: 90 days, no extension

    A Certificate of Receipt of Application (MI-151B) or an Urgent Authorisation lets an officer serve for up to 90 days while the endorsement is processed. Neither can be extended, because STCW gives the Administrator 90 days to issue. After a UA, the completed MI-105 must arrive within 15 calendar days or the UA may be invalidated.

    Sources

  6. Not confirmed

    List of recognised administrations

    MI-118 Annex 7, which lists the administrations whose CoCs the RMI will endorse, was last updated in Dec/2017 and repeats some countries. Confirm the current list with the Administrator before relying on it.

    Sources

  7. Not confirmed

    No published processing times

    No RMI document gives a normal processing time for a Certificate of Endorsement or an SIRB. The only fixed figure is the 90-day STCW limit covered by a CRA. Fees are published in Marine Notices 1-005-1 and 1-005-2.

    Sources

  8. Sources disagree

    Does manning apply to a PYLC when it is not chartering?

    The 2021 Yacht Code said manning requirements did not apply to a Private Yacht Limited Charter outside charter periods. The 2026 Code drops that sentence. The IRI website and MI-290 (Sep/2024) still say manning applies only with charter guests aboard. Until the Administrator clarifies, crew a PYLC to the commercial standard whenever there is doubt.

    Sources

  9. Sources disagree

    Which yachts need a Minimum Safe Manning Certificate?

    Three documents give three answers: MI-290 says 24 m or 80 GT, MI-103A says 80 GT, and MN 7-038-2 gives no threshold. Check the yacht's own certificates and ask the Administrator for anything near the line.

    Sources

  10. Sources disagree

    Manning tables that disagree with their own grade descriptions

    In MN 7-038-2 some table entries do not match the notice's own grade descriptions: STCW II/3 is listed for Masters, a III/3 chief engineer appears for yachts under 750 kW, and Table A4 (3,000 GT and above) has no power bands. Read the table and the text together and flag any mismatch to the flag inspector.

    Sources

RMI-CODE-M1 · The RMI Yacht Code and who it applies to

3 lessons

RMI-CODE-M1-A What the Code is, the yacht types and size bands it covers, and what changed in the 2026 edition.

In preparation
RMI-CODE-L1.1What the RMI Yacht Code isThe Yacht Code is the RMI's answer to a simple problem: **merchant ship rules do not fit yachts**. It is also a legal equivalence to SOLAS, MARPOL, Load Lines, Tonnage and STCW.PreviewRMI-CODE-L1.2Yacht types, size bands and operating categoriesBefore you can apply any rule in the Code you need two facts: **what the yacht is registered as, and how far from a safe haven she may go**.LockedRMI-CODE-L1.3The 2026 edition: what changed from 2021The 2026 Code came into force on **1 January 2026**. Most changes are technical; a few land directly on the crew.Locked

RMI-CODE-M2 · Construction and safety equipment in outline

3 lessons

RMI-CODE-M2-A The Ch. II technical sections a watchkeeper needs to recognise: structure and fire, LSA, navigation and radio, accommodation and MLC.

In preparation
RMI-CODE-L2.1Construction, stability and fire protectionYou will not design the yacht, but you will **operate her watertight doors, fire boundaries and toy garage**. Know where the Code draws its lines.LockedRMI-CODE-L2.2Life-saving appliances, navigation and radioTables 13 and 14 in Ch. II set what a commercial yacht carries by **size and operating category**. The 2026 edition adds a VDR, tender MMSI programming and a logbook list.LockedRMI-CODE-L2.3Accommodation, MLC and people on boardThe Code carries the **MLC, 2006 standards for crew accommodation**, adapted for yachts, and draws a firm line between crew, guests, passengers and supernumeraries.Locked

RMI-CODE-M3 · Certificates, surveys, inspections and management systems

4 lessons

RMI-CODE-M3-A What statutory certificates a yacht holds, how compliance verification works, what the Yacht Inspector checks, and ISM/ISPS for yachts.

In preparation
RMI-CODE-L3.1Statutory certificates by tonnageA commercial yacht's certificate folder grows at **300, 400, 500 and 1,000 GT**. Learn the thresholds and you can predict most of it.LockedRMI-CODE-L3.2Compliance verification: types, windows and certificatesThe Code is enforced through **compliance verification** by an RMI Yacht Inspector or Appointed Representative — initial, annual, renewal and special.LockedRMI-CODE-L3.3What the Yacht Inspector looks atAn RMI compliance verification is not a paper audit. Expect **a crew list check, a drill, crew interviews and a walk through the machinery spaces**.LockedRMI-CODE-L3.4ISM, ISPS and the mini-ISMFull ISM and ISPS certification starts at **500 GT**. Below that, commercial RMI yachts still run a **mini-ISM** under Annex 1 of the Code.Locked

RMI-CODE-M4 · Minimum safe manning

4 lessons

RMI-CODE-M4-A The Minimum Safe Manning Certificate, the MN 7-038-2 deck and engine tables with worked examples, and private yachts, PYLCs, reductions and dispensations.

In preparation
RMI-CODE-L4.1The Minimum Safe Manning CertificateThe MSMC states the **minimum** crew, by number and grade, that must be aboard whenever the yacht proceeds to sea. It is not a crewing plan.LockedRMI-CODE-L4.2Reading the deck tablesDeck manning is read from **Table A1** (under 3,000 GT, by GT band and category) or **Table A3** (3,000 GT or more). Here is how, with worked examples.LockedRMI-CODE-L4.3Reading the engine tablesEngine manning turns on **propulsion power**, and the RMI reads it from the **single highest-rated engine**, not the total.LockedRMI-CODE-L4.4Private yachts, PYLCs, charter guests, reductions and dispensationsManning rules flex with **status and activity**: charter or private, at sea or alongside, full crew or one short. Know where the lines are.Locked