Orientation
Governing: MI-103 RMI Yacht Code 2026, Ch. I §1–2. Builds on: Marshall Islands Endorsements for Yacht Crew for the certification side.
Why a yacht code at all
SOLAS, Load Lines and STCW were written for merchant ships trading on schedules. A 70 m motor yacht with a crew of twenty, a beach club, a helicopter deck and twelve guests has different risks and different constraints. The RMI's answer, like the Red Ensign Group's, is a yacht code: one document that takes the convention requirements, keeps the safety intent and sets practical equivalents where full compliance is not reasonable.
The RMI Commercial Yacht Code was first published in October 2008. IRI describes the RMI Yacht Code as first published in 2013. The 2026 edition is, in IRI's words, the most significant update since 2021.
What it covers
Ch. I §1.3 says the Code sets requirements for construction, machinery, equipment and stability, and — together with the conventions the RMI has ratified — standards for safety, security, pollution prevention and seafarer accommodation, appropriate to the yacht's size.
The Administrator has submitted the Code to the IMO as an equivalent arrangement under:
- SOLAS;
- MARPOL;
- the International Convention on Load Lines, 1966;
- the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement, 1969;
- STCW.
That is why an RMI commercial yacht built to the Code can be issued convention certificates "as modified by this Code".
It does not apply to commercial cruise ships, excursion boats, day-visit dive boats or ferries (§1.4).
How it is laid out
| Part | Applies to |
|---|---|
| Ch. I | Introduction, application, definitions: all yachts |
| Ch. II | Commercial yachts (up to 12 passengers) |
| Ch. III | Passenger yachts (PAXYs, up to 36 passengers) |
| Ch. IV | Private Yachts Limited Charter (PYLCs) |
| Ch. V | Yachts Engaged in Trade (YETs) |
| Annex 1 | Mini-SMS |
| Annex 2 | Helicopter facilities |
| Annex 3 | Simplified tonnage measurement |
| Annex 4 | Safe working practices |
Every yacht type reads Ch. I plus its own chapter. A YET reads Ch. I, Ch. V and either Ch. II (up to 12 passengers) or Ch. III (up to 36).
What sits around it
The Code is the hub, not the whole wheel. Ch. I §2.7 lists the other publications the Administrator uses:
- Marine Notices (MNs) and Marine Guidelines (MGs);
- Technical Circulars (TCs) and Yacht Technical Circulars (YTCs);
- Marine Safety, Ship Security and Yacht Safety Advisories.
Section 1.6 is explicit: complying with the Code does not excuse you from the Maritime Act, the Maritime Regulations (MI-108), MNs, circulars or local authority rules. Manning, for example, is set out in MN 7-038-2 rather than in the Code itself (Module 4).
TIP — Keep the contact details current The Administrator sends updates by email to the addresses on the Declaration of Company (MI-297A/MI-297B). If the manager's email is out of date, the yacht misses the notices it is expected to comply with.
Who is responsible
The owner or the owner's representative must ensure the yacht is properly maintained, inspected and certified (§2.2). The Master shares the duty to keep certificates valid and endorsed (Ch. II §3.2.5). Alternative designs, exemptions and equivalencies are granted only by the Administrator, on the Recognized Organization's recommendation using form YTEC-02, ideally early in design (§2.3).