Your yacht is selected for a Port State Control inspection in a foreign port. Explain what PSC officers are likely to focus on for a coded commercial yacht specifically, as distinct from a typical cargo ship inspection.

A. PSC FOCUS AREAS FOR CODED YACHTS — WHAT DIFFERS FROM A CARGO SHIP INSPECTION: While PSC inspections share common ground across all ship types (certificate validity, crew certification, lifesaving/firefighting equipment condition, MLC compliance), inspections of coded yachts tend to have particular focus on: (1) PASSENGER NUMBER COMPLIANCE — confirming the vessel is not carrying more than its certificated 12-passenger limit, since this defines whether the vessel is correctly operating within yacht-code scope at all; (2) CREW CERTIFICATION MATCHED TO VESSEL TONNAGE — checking the Master and OOW certificates are valid for the vessel's actual GT band (the certificate-tonnage mismatch issue covered elsewhere in this module); (3) MLC EQUIVALENCE DOCUMENTATION — since yacht crew accommodation may legitimately differ from literal merchant-ship MLC figures under the sliding-scale equivalence framework, PSC officers familiar with yachts will check whether any apparent shortfall is properly documented as approved equivalence, rather than assuming either automatic compliance or automatic deficiency; (4) TENDER/PWC OPERATIONS — increasingly an area of PSC and flag-state attention given documented incident patterns in launch/recovery and guest water activities. KEY POINT FOR THE MASTER: being ready to promptly produce the Code Compliance Certificate, Safe Manning Document, and equivalence-related documentation (not just generic safety certificates) is specific preparation a coded yacht's Master should have ready, distinct from a cargo ship Master's typical PSC preparation focus.

B. PSC inspections of coded yachts are identical in every respect to cargo ship inspections, with no areas of particular focus distinct to the yacht sector.

C. PSC officers have no jurisdiction to inspect coded yachts since the Code is a flag-state-only framework outside Port State Control's remit.

D. PSC inspections of yachts focus exclusively on passenger comfort and interior fit-out standards, not safety or certification compliance.

A. SURVEY CYCLE UNDER THE CODE — ANNUAL / INTERMEDIATE / RENEWAL: Coded yachts are subject to a periodic survey regime broadly analogous to SOLAS-style survey cycles, scaled to the Code's certification framework: (1) ANNUAL SURVEY — a routine confirmation that the vessel and its equipment remain in the condition certified, conducted by the classification society/Recognised Organisation on the flag state's behalf; (2) INTERMEDIATE SURVEY — a more detailed mid-cycle survey (typically around the midpoint of the certificate's validity period) covering specific systems/equipment in more depth than the annual survey; (3) RENEWAL SURVEY — the full survey conducted before the Code Compliance Certificate's validity period expires, required to renew the certificate for a further period; failure to complete it in time means the certificate lapses. CONSEQUENCES OF A MISSED OR OVERDUE SURVEY: (1) The Code Compliance Certificate (and other certificates tied to the survey cycle) can become invalid, meaning the vessel is technically uncoded and should not operate commercially with guests until the survey is completed and the certificate reinstated/renewed; (2) Port State Control inspections check certificate validity as standard practice — an expired or lapsed certificate is a serious deficiency that can lead to detention; (3) Insurance cover is likely to be affected if the vessel was operating commercially with an invalid certificate at the time of an incident. CREW/OFFICER RESPONSIBILITY: tracking survey due dates is a standing administrative duty (usually led by the Master/Chief Officer with company support), not something to discover only when a surveyor or PSC officer raises it.

B. Annual, intermediate and renewal surveys are interchangeable terms for the same inspection, repeated at the surveyor's discretion with no fixed cycle or consequence for being overdue.

C. Missing an intermediate survey has no consequence as long as the annual and renewal surveys are completed on schedule.

D. Survey cycles under the Code apply only to the hull and machinery; certificates relating to crew, manning and accommodation never require periodic re-survey.

A. MASTER CERTIFICATE TONNAGE BANDS — WHY THE RIGHT CoC MATTERS: Manning and certification requirements under the Code are tied to tonnage bands, broadly: Master (Yachts) <200GT, Master/OOW (Yachts) <500GT, and Master/OOW (Yachts) Unlimited — each certificate of competency authorises command/watchkeeping only up to the tonnage (and any other) limit stated on that certificate. A Master holding only a <200GT certificate is NOT qualified to take command of a 480GT yacht — doing so would mean the vessel is operating without a properly certificated Master, a serious compliance failure exposing the individual, the vessel, and the management company. CORRECT PATHWAY: the candidate would need to complete the further training/sea time/examination requirements to upgrade to the Master <500GT (or higher) certificate before taking command of a vessel in that tonnage band — this is not a formality that can be deferred "until there's time," since the certificate must be held and valid AT THE TIME of taking command, matched to the vessel's actual measured GT. PRACTICAL POINT: this is exactly the kind of certificate-tonnage mismatch that Port State Control and flag-state inspections specifically check, and is also why understanding the Code's tonnage bands (already covered in the fundamentals module of this same content area) is directly relevant to an individual's own career planning, not just abstract regulatory knowledge.

B. A Master <200GT certificate authorises command of any coded yacht regardless of tonnage, since the Code does not tie command authority to specific GT bands.

C. Certificate tonnage limits are advisory only; an experienced Master may take command of a larger yacht informally provided the owner is satisfied with their experience.

D. Certificate upgrades between tonnage bands can be completed informally after taking command, provided the upgrade is finalised within the first year.