My latest  such experience is with Manta Maritime,  a British company headed by Anthony Gradwell.  Anthony is a naval architect, professional engineer, former Lloyds Register surveyor and worked 5 years with he Cayman Islands Shipping registry (the largest registry for commercial yachts)  most of it as lead surveyor. 

Since 2006 he runs his own company - Mantra Maritime - dedicated to providing “effective yacht safety solutions through innovative and practical guidance”.

When looking for some info on SOLAS and MCA issues I ran into Anthony’s site and spend over an hour reading the information he had available for download on his website.  While I consider myself pretty well informed about the issue his site really brings it all together.   Handy compliance charts and guides clarify many of the issues that have a lot of people confused.

Then I sent him a note of appreciation for setting up such an informative website and that started another round of very informative e-mail exchanges.

Among the things I was made aware of is that the Cayman Island Shipping Registry is far advanced preparing a 13-36 guest code.  It’s still under wraps but it will be discussed at the Superyacht Forum in Amsterdam next month (at the METZ tradeshow).  It will most likely be a consolidation of all the requirements in SOLAS for small (<36) passenger ships, plus some standard equivalent arrangements.  And excellent slideshow presentation about the 13+ guest/passenger issue can be found on the Manta Maritime website.

Since we plan to make our yacht MCA LY2 compliant and will be able to take more than 12 guests, we’re very interested  in any new regulation regarding this topic.  When Peter went over my website and general arrangement he came up with a host of other helpful suggestions showing an in-depth knowledge on a wide range of issues.

If you have a project where you need expert guidance on regulatory issues, I highly recommend you contact Anthony Gradwell.  Start by visiting his website www.mantamaritime.com.

Our initial idea was to basically add plating to the inside of the tank  walls and hull to create the cofferdam space (about 20 cm wide)  and make this hull inspectionable with an inspection camera like this one from Ridgid .  Making the cofferdam wider to allow access would mean ending up with almost no fuel storage space and rules require you can inspect a cofferdam but don’t specifically say how big it has to be.  But how to keep corrosion at bay and what about not being able to weld this plating on both sides? 

So we started looking at other solutions like a tank we could remove.  To store about 3 to 4 m3 of jet fuel (780-1038 gl.), one big tank would not be practical (how to get it in there?)  Several smaller tanks?  To start with, that would clearly violate the KIS principle.  But then we learned about bladder tanks and we came accross the website of Australia’s Turtlepac and thought, if they can do that kind of stuff with a bladder tank – like throwing filled tanks out of helicopters - it will work for us!  The obvious advantage of a bladder tank in our application is that when empty, you can easily remove it through the manhole and inspect the outer tank!

Unfortunately, there was no information whatsoever available on the Internet about yacht applications approved by a class society so I decided take my case to always very helpful gentlemen of Lloyds Register in Ft. Lauderdale to see how they felt about the idea.  I met with one of their surveyors and the news was good.  Yes, there was a precedent of the use of bladder tanks on (classed) yachts.    But we had to make sure the tank would not collapse while being emptied because they want fixed connections to the tank for filling and venting.  Flexible hoses – not normally visible as they are hidden in a cofferdam – that could  move and possibly allow parts rubbing into each other, resulting in some kind of failure were a no-no. 

Mmm…  a bladder tank that maintains its shape?  How then would we get it at its intended location or remove it for inspection.  But they mentioned there are companies that manufacture a foam specifically for use in fuel tanks (also called fuel cells) that could be inserted into the tank to keep it from collapsing, maintain its shape and allow fixed connections.

A little more Googling and we ran into so-called explosion suppressant foam made by  Crestfoam among others.  To see why this foam is called ‘explosion suppressant’, it’s enough to watch the video below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So thanks to the helpful advise of Lloyds Register and with a little planning from our side and a lot of ball-shaped foam pieces from Crestfoam it looks we have now overcome the major hurdle to create jet fuel storage that will meet class requirements.

As you can see from the picture below, these fuel cells can be made in any size of shape to fit the particular needs of your yacht.  Of course, they will have to be pressure tested by the class society but the pressure is not that high and as you can imagine, these tanks can meet those requirements easily.

Being a former marine engineer I have no probleem seeing the advantages of scheduled maintenance and you can look at my earlier post on this topic where I discuss several software packages that make managing this process a lot easier.

One of these packages, Idea Yacht from Sprectra – my favorite - just got an new ‘light’ version.  For only Euro 490 (almost USD 750) you now get the basic but essential modules to run a solid planned maintenance software package. See the image below with the main menus of each package, illustrating the differences.

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Still, this is a package that needs a lot of planning and a solid engineering background, not something common on many smaller yachts (60-100 ft. range) where often it’s just the skipper doing all the engineering besides running the boat.  For those captains and/or yacht owners that need practical, hands-on advice or a little more hand-holding to get properly schedule maintenance going, I found a very good alternative in Superyacht Support Inc., a Ft. Lauderdale-based company.   

Founded by John Vergo, a former Royal Navy engineer, an experienced megayacht captain and engineer and a former fleet manager for Camper & Nicholsons, he knows a thing or two about scheduled yacht maintenance.  This firm specializes in helping yacht owners setting up custom planned maintenance schedules, safety training manuals and mini ISM systems.

Check out his website or drop him a line. You’ll find him very helpful, friendly and his in-depth experience can potentially safe you a lot of money, headaches and avoid lost charters.

The MCA Large Yacht code, paragraph 13.2.2.3 states that for vessels of less than 85m in length, or those complying with 13.2.1.3 (which applies to yachts over 85 m. in length), a sufficient number of liferafts should be provided so that in the event of any one liferaft being lost or rendered unserviceable, sufficient aggregate capacity remains on either side of the vessel for all persons on board. This may be achieved by transferring liferafts from one side to the other. Where liferafts are transferable, this requirement may be met by the ability of the rafts to be transferred within 5 minutes, as below:

• Liferafts of 6 – 15 persons capacity to be carried by 2 persons
• Liferafts of more than 15 persons capacity to be carried by 4 persons

So we could have a setup with two liferafts on one side and one liferaft at the other side and comply with the rules. But we think that carrying a 185 kg liferaft container isn’ t much fun under normal circumstances, let alone in rough seas and emergency circumstances.

Our initial liferaft racks would look like the pictures on the the right below.  However, the Viking ‘stacked’ rack (center picture) is a better solution and made possible by moving the rack away from the ship’s centerline so the falling raft won’t hit the ship’s hull.

And as the most left drawing shows, having two of these Viking racks with capacity for 2 x 2 rafts takes about the same deck space as two original 1-raft racks.  Interesting detail: the containers of the 20-person and 25-person liferaft not only have the same size (OK, that can be explained) but also the same weight. I hope a VIKING rep. can explain that soon.

We’re also required to carry a rescueboat but this can be a non-SOLAS approved properly equipped tender.

For an informative discussion about liferaft and liveboat requirements, see this forum discusssion on PMY.

But not only  that.  To separate it from the home interior or an ‘garage’ conversion, you also have to look at the materials used to create this interior.

To me, the ideal yacht interior meets the following criteria:

1. It looks good to more people than just the owner, designer &  yacht magazine editor
2. Even better, it continues to look good (even after intensive use)
3. It’s comfortable !
4. Of course it is safe (meets all MCA/class requirements)
5. and is easy to maintain and repair (happy crew)
6. It has “noise reduction design” written all over it
7. and it is environmentally friendly (that excludes using teak decks)
8. It is also cost effective to install and finally
9. it doesn’t depend on the workmanship only a handfull of yards can offer

Let’s see point by point how we’re trying to create  the perfect interior.

1. Looking good
   Well, I’ve already put on a few posts in the interior section on what we like. 
2. Continues to look good
   That means the materials have to be low-maintainance by design (unless you want crew to spend most of their time keeping the yacht look good), easy to repair. 
   
3. Comfortable
   I guess that speaks for itself but well, we all know examples of furniture that just doesn’t sit right.  We’re also trying to maximize the headroom and have at least 7.5 ft. of height in all areas.  The bedding has to be first class; the airconditioning silent without any unpleasant draft.
   
4. Be safe
   We will employ materials that have the appropriate fire ratings, meet all the structural fire protection required by Lloyds and MCA LY2, including a sprinkler system.  Very little real wood!   It’s amazing how some multi-million Dollar conversions use ‘Home Depot’ doors!
   
5. Easy to maintain and repair
   The meet item 4 and 5, we plan to use IMO/SOLAS-approved wall panel systems, doors, and ceilings wherever required or effective.  These very sophisticated building systems are used extensively in the off-shore industry and in passengerships and ferries where fire safety AND ease of maintainance are important issues.  By using  wall foils and coverings, they can be given any look you want and turnout as ‘yacht-like’ as you want.
   
6. Noise reduction
   Essential!  Floating floors, anti-vibration mountings of panels, it’s a whole science and industry in itself for which we’ll seek professional advice.  Luckily, there’s a lot of material available to keep noise under control but it all starts with the right design. 

7. Environmentally friendly
   A lot of these wall systems now use recycled materials, halon free foils, and there excellent alternatives to teak that are not only better for the forrest but also better on your wallet, have better isolation (sound and heat) capacity and are easier to install (see this post).
8. Cost effective installation
   That’s the beauty again of the wall systems described earlier like those of Inexa or Isolamin.
9. Workmanship factor
   Getting a yacht up to ‘Dutch yacht standards’ is an expensive proposition and not one of our goals. Finding good workmanship is hard everywhere with the yachting business booming and in part of the world is not known for building fine yacht interiors.  So we try to out-design this factor as much as possible by using professionally produced furniture like that of Maritime Mobler and their partners Ekornes.  

The Novenco XFlow water mist system is a state-of-the-art and and highly efficient water mist system, that combines the greatest benefits of both high- and low-pressure systems.

A central feature is its unique water mist nozzle (see picture above) that makes it require less water, reduce risk of clogging and requires a lot less power for the pump unit.  So, we get a very reliable system using the latest technology for a very competitive price.

The pictures show that  the water mist head is almost concealed which of course is nice.

This is also a fire extinction system for category A machinery spaces. We are currently protected by an FM200 system.   Since we need the pump unit anyway, we might as well use watermist in the engine room as well.  More importantly, in case of a fire, the system saves valuable time – and therefore potentially lives – because it can be released without first having to evacuate personnel. The system operates with freshwater and uses seawater for backup. This means you will always be able to fight the fire.

Check out the two brochures below to learn more about this innovative system works and its benefits.  If you have a yacht of 120 ft or more and you want to go the extra mile in fire safety like we do, it deserves a serious look.

• Novenco water mist for yacht accommodation (PDF)
• Novenco water mist for engineroom spaces

Classification societies are organizations that establish and apply technical standards in relation to the design, construction and survey of marine related facilities including ships and offshore structures. The vast majority of commercial ships are built and surveyed to the standards laid down by classification societies. These standards are issued by the classification society as published rules. A vessel that has been designed and built to the appropriate rules of a society may apply for a certificate of classification from that society. The society issues this certificate upon completion of relevant classification surveys. As an independent, self-regulating, externally audited, body, a classification society has no commercial interests related to ship design, ship building, ship ownership, ship operation, ship management, ship maintenance or repairs, insurance, or chartering. In establishing its rules, each classification society may draw upon the advice and review of members of the industry who are considered expert in their field.

In the second half of the 18th century, marine insurers, based at Lloyd’s coffee house in London, developed a system for the independent inspection of the hull and equipment of ships presented to them for insurance cover. In 1760 a Committee was formed for this express purpose, the earliest existing result of their initiative being Lloyd’s Register Book for the years 1764-65-66. At that time, an attempt was made to ‘classify’ the condition of each ship on an annual basis. The condition of the hull was classified A, E, I, O or U, according to the excellence of its construction and its adjudged continuing soundness (or otherwise). Equipment was G, M, or B: simply, good, middling or bad. In time, G, M and B were replaced by 1, 2 or 3, which is the origin of the well-known expression ‘A1′, meaning ‘first or highest class’.

Bureau Veritas (BV) was founded in Antwerp in 1828, moving to Paris in 1832. ‘Lloyd’s Register of British and Foreign Shipping’ was reconstituted as a self-standing ‘classification society’ in 1834; rules for construction and survey were published the same year. Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) dates from 1861; American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) traces its origins back to 1862.

Adoption of common rules for ship construction by Norwegian insurance societies in the late 1850s led to the establishment of Det Norske Veritas (DNV) in 1864. Germanischer Lloyd (GL) was formed in 1867 and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK) in 1899. The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RS) was an early offshoot of the River Register of 1913. More recent foundations have beenYugoslav Register of Shipping (now the Croatian Register of Shipping (CRS)) in 1949, China Classification Society (CCS), 1956; Korean Register (KR), 1960; and Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), 1975.

The purpose of class notations is to specify what requirements a vessel must satisfy  when being built and throughout its operational life.

Such a certification does not imply, and should not be construed as an express warranty of safety, fitness for purpose or seaworthiness of the ship.   But is is attestation that the vessel is in compliance with the standards that have been developed and published by the society issuing the classification certificate.  Needless to say those rules are based on many years of experience so building under class does guarantee that the ship in question has a lot of built-in safety and quality.

More than 50 organizations worldwide define their activities as providing marine classification. Ten of those organizations form the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). It is estimated that these ten societies, together with the one additional society that has been accorded associate status by IACS, collectively class about 94 percent of all shipping tonnage involved in international trade worldwide.

If you to bring your vessel under class AND be credible, the IACS societies are the only way to go.  They are much more expensive and very busy (= delays) but if you want the real deal and if resale value is an issue, anything less than an IACS Society and you might as well forget about class. 

International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) currently consists of 10 member societies and one associate

The British Coast Guard agency has drawn up a large set of rules for big yachts, generally referred to as MCA Large Yacht Code 2.  While we plan to bring our ship under class, class societies tend to focus on construction issues whereas MCA focuses more on safety and people (including crew requirements). MCA also has stricter rules on damage stability. Since we want to be MCA LY2 compliant, we have to add a watertight bulkhead which is not required by Germanischer Lloyd for instance. 

We are now looking at escapes.  Every ‘confined space’ should have 2 escape routes according to the MCA rules on means of escape but there’s some grey area here, in particular on how close to each other the hatches have to be.
Well, we’re working on it.

I ran into two nice pictures that show that these fishing vessels are out at sea regardless of the weather.  Needless to say they are built to take some serious abuse.  

Below a short video on You Tube showing a similar trawler cruising at sea. Have you ever seen a promotional video of a yacht under such circumstances? Not very likely because with that kind of weather, they stay in port !

While we won’t fly a red ensign flag, we will also seek an MCA LY2 code note of compliance.   That will never hurt the resale value.