Establishment of a framework for the development of a Pleasure Yacht Code

Abstract

The aim of this study is to discover if a legal lacuna exists for the development of a Pleasure Yacht Code. This thesis provides an overview of how the major conventions address the pleasure yacht category as well as how pleasure yachts are defined. The researcher carried out research about the definitions provided by various International Conventions. Interviews with the leading legal practitioners and surveyors of the pleasure yacht industry have also been carried out. This study also researches whether foreign jurisdictions already provide a Pleasure Yacht Code. Enacted legislation and guidance notes released by Maritime Authorities have been referred to. This research then goes into the development of a framework with proposed legislative measures and incentives. Moreover the author discusses the pros and cons related the development of such a Code. The objective of this study is reached via the proposed framework for the development of a codified standard, which has been identified as a solution to a confirmed lacuna. This thesis concludes that the proposed framework based on the research carried out provides a sound basis for the development of the Pleasure Yacht Code.