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Enhancing yacht safety with updated Rules

Dec. 3 2021

Yacht owners are connoisseurs of comfort and luxury. With Bureau Veritas’ updated NR500 Rules, these same owners can pair style with increased safety and sustainability.

Yachts are to the ocean as sports cars are to the road – luxury vessels designed for enjoyment. Because of this, owners frequently alter their yachts, integrating the latest innovations onboard and modifying vessel design to improve comfort. For classification societies, this means regularly updating yacht classification rules to keep up with owners’ fast-evolving needs.

Reoutfitting NR500 Rules for yachts

Bureau Veritas released updated NR500 rules for yachts in June 2021. These rules apply to charter and pleasure vessels up to gigayacht size, and address issues of comfort, safety and performance. Major updates include changes to:

  • Hull structure and stability, including design loads and scantling for glass bulwarks, local and global strength analysis, and anchor and chain equipment
  • Machinery, such as fuel tanks and fuel oil systems, bunkering and piping systems, air compression systems and engine monitoring equipment
  • Fire safety and prevention measures, including fire detection equipment and alarm systems, fire pumps and extinguishers, surface and insulation materials

These updates will enable yacht owners and management companies to maintain onboard safety and performance while increasing comfort and luxury.

The future of yacht improvement

While yacht owners will continue integrating new design features onboard, questions of sustainability and security are increasingly important. Regulations for reducing vessels’ environmental footprint are coming into effect as marine decarbonization begins. And for yachts, which rely increasingly on connected systems to achieve onboard comfort and luxury, cyber security is a growing concern.

To help yacht owners meet these challenges, Bureau Veritas has developed two key offers. Our CLEANSHIP notation shows that ships comply with minimum levels of emissions. Meanwhile, our CYBER MANAGED notation offers proof that cyber security management procedures have been successfully integrated onboard in-service vessels.

With these offers and our regularly updated Rules, Bureau Veritas can help yacht owners and management companies prepare for the future, whatever shape it takes.