Regulatory & Technical Services Group

The Department for Transport (DfT) has a stated goal for "…UK domestic maritime to aim for zero fuel lifecycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2050, with at least a 30% reduction by 2030 and an 80% reduction by 2040, relative to 2008 levels."  It has launched a Call for Evidence (CfE) which consists of up to 122 wide-ranging questions for completion by any interested parties such as vessel builders, operators, representative organisations or individuals.

HMRC (His Majesty's Customs & Excise, the UK tax authority) has announced a change in the period for which a non-UK VAT-paid vessel can remain in the UK without incurring VAT and customs duties (known as 'temporary admission' or TA) - this period is currently 18 months but will increase to two years this summer.

Since 2022, the CA has worked closely with the marine biologists at Grupo Trabajo Orca Atlantica (GTOA) to track and record orca interactions. Recently, with more reports being shared on social media, GTOA has helped by monitoring these channels alongside the official CA portal to help maintain data that is as up to date as possible.

Note: UK VAT paid boats that were in the EU on 31 December 2020 23:00 UTC and did not lose that status afterwards are considered as EU VAT paid boats. A boat can lose its EU VAT paid status if it left the EU for a period of three years or longer, or was sold while outside the EU.

Temporary Admission (TA) is a means of entry for foreign boats for limited periods without the need for formal importation and customs duties.

RATS has seen a notification from the UK Government via social media that there have been changes to the foodstuffs, including certain meat and dairy products, that you can bring back into Great Britain. Note there are different rules for Northern Ireland. This is a temporary tightening of the rules as a result of animal disease outbreaks (including foot and mouth disease) in the EU. These restrictions also apply to pet foods.

Recent press reports have highlighted that the UK Government is investigating potential fraudulent use of virgin palm oil in the feedstock (source material) of the renewable diesel known as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO).

On 8 April 2025, Imray Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd (Imray), a leading publisher of nautical information for recreational sailors, and Austrian cartographic specialist freytag & berndt (FB) announced they have signed a letter of intent to form a joint venture.

In response to the recent (9 April 2025) BBC investigation, the HVO Joint Working Group has issued the following statement:

On 19 March 2025, the CA’s Regulatory & Technical Services (RATS) group hosted their fifth 'Evening with RATS', which was open to members and the cruising community. The recording of the CA’s ‘Evening with RATS’ is now available to watch below.