All the Highlights of the PYA Sea Changes Forum

This year's PYA Sea Changes Forum took place on 29 September at the International Hydrographic Organisation at the Monaco Yacht Show. It was a fantastic forum with a lot of information shared about Regulations and Qualifications from leading Maritime Policymakers. Read on for a short summary of the proceedings.

PYA Board Member Rod Hatch kicked off the forum discussing the new AV/IT certification currently under development, with input from Rod and from other PYA contributors. Watch his entire talk here.

Mr. Ajit Jacob, Chief Examiner of the MCA presented the UK Hydrographic Office’s (UKHO) plans for the phased exit of paper charts to be compliant for digital navigation by 2026, and the MCA’s shift toward digital and the modernisation of training, including immersive training tools. The MCA is looking to overhaul its suite of student training and assessment criteria by end of 2023. Updates included the status of the amended STCW regulations, electronic training record book, online oral exams and streamlining pathways in OOW less than 500gt. You can see his full presentation here.

Mr. Mauro Peresso, Technical Director at Transport Malta focused on the rules, regulations and flexibility of the Malta Commercial Yacht Code and the Passenger Yacht Code. He presented Crew Qualifications accepted on Malta Flagged Vessels and spoke about future trends such as green ships and the reality of the volume required for different types of fuel. Watch it here.

Ms. Amelie Delamarre-Chardin and Ms. Ornella Valls, Head & Deputy Head of Marine Environment, Mediterranean Maritime Prefecture spoke about current French regulations (anchoring, light and sound, and the protection of marine mammals) and their enforcement in French Waters. Part of Ms. Valls presentation, which you can watch here, is cut off due to a technical glitch, however Ms. Delamarre-Chardin revisits her points in the Q&A.

Captain Luca Triggiani, Founding Member and Director of Training of the Italian YachtMasters spoke of taking action and accountability for managing yachting professionals through advanced training (leadership, behavioral analysis, sustainability practices, etc), networking and coaching. Italian YachtMasters path to a sustainable future is through zero tolerance of easy certification, following environmental regulations and advanced crew training for both practical and professional development. Click here for the full 18-minute presentation.

Mr. Richard Falk, RYA Director of Training and Qualifications spoke of the RYA’s efforts to improve digital offerings, focus more on practical learning, streamline yacht inspections, and broadly implement the Personal Watercraft (PWC) Safety Scheme. He touched on the confusion following Brexit during his speech (which you can watch here), and cleared up some misinformation. In addition, he asked to spread the word about the annual Trinity House RYA Yachtmaster Scholarship.

Finally Emma Baggett, Director of OM and Chair of the IAMI GUEST Program, focused on crew retention, why crew leave, the impact on the industry and ways we can redress the balance through personal and professional development.  The GUEST Program (Guidelines for Excellence in Superyacht Training) is the recognised yacht qualification body for non-mandatory training & professional development and in addition to interior-based training, is now offering owner representative, new build and administration programs. See what she had to say here.

The PYA Sea Changes Forum was sponsored by Burgess, MYBA, Maritime MT and VSF.