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Some superyacht owners, especially first-time buyers, assume the rulebook stops at one country’s border. That belief is exactly where expensive surprises begin, especially as operational and sustainability expectations collide with hard law.

We talk through the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the UN body that sets global maritime standards through treaties that flag states adopt and enforce. We connect the dots to the frameworks that rarely get explained clearly: SOLAS for safety, STCW for crew training and watchkeeping, and MARPOL for pollution prevention. Once you see how these rules shape everything from certification to minimum manning, it becomes obvious why “I’ll sort compliance later” is not a viable project plan.

From there, we move into the emissions roadmap that is pushing owners, builders, and designers to think in advance of upcoming decades. We discuss the industry’s shift toward greenhouse gas reduction targets, the drive toward net zero by 2050, and the 2030 reality that zero-emission or near-zero-emission solutions are no longer theoretical. Fuel cells, hydrogen readiness, hybrid propulsion, solar support, hydrogeneration, wind-assist concepts, and even nuclear solutions are on the table. But, we also get honest about the constraints, especially global infrastructure and the risk of greenwashing. We also explain why the Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) having a seat at IMO meetings matters, because if yachting is not represented when shipping-first rules are written, yachts can end up paying for it.

Subscribe for more practical yacht-law and yacht-compliance breakdowns, share this with an owner or project team, and leave a review if it helped. What part of the IMO environmental rules do you want us to unpack next?

Have a yacht law question? Email it to info@megayachtnews.com or michael@moore-and-co.com for your chance to have it answered on our podcast. All requests for confidentiality and/or anonymity are respected.

Hiring a lawyer is a big decision. Visit Moore & Company for the legal team's qualifications and experience. And, to learn the latest about superyacht launches, shipyards, designs, and destinations, visit Megayacht News.

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One outdated number has quietly shaped the entire superyacht landscape in the United States: 300 gross tons. Once yachts started exceeding that limit, the law effectively pushed them toward a commercial-style regulatory world that does not match how most private owners actually operate. So why does the US still lack a clear, modern large yacht code and why do so many American-owned yachts end up under Cayman, Marshall Islands, or other offshore registries instead of the US flag?

We unpack the real-world consequences of treating a mobile industry like it is fixed in place. When governments add yacht taxes, duties, or tariffs, yachts do what yachts have always done: they move. That movement does not just affect billionaires, it hits marinas, boatyards, fuel docks, restaurants, shops, and the seasonal “mom and pop” businesses that depend on visiting vessels. We also connect the dots between US flag rules, the Jones Act, and the national-interest logic that drives maritime policy, even when the outcome is messy for modern superyachts.

Then we get into the surprise 2018 turning point, when Congress attached large-yacht language to the National Defense Authorization Act and tasked the Coast Guard with creating a pathway for certain large yachts to fly the US flag while staying non-commercial. We talk about why implementation has lagged, why so few owners choose the option, and how costs like 1.5% duty and potential double-digit tariffs can wipe out the perceived benefits instantly. Along the way, we explore legal workarounds such as bareboat charter structures and why the only message every legislator consistently hears is economic impact backed by real numbers.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share the episode with someone in yachting or maritime law, and leave a review. What policy change would actually convince more owners to choose the US flag?

Have a yacht law question? Email it to info@megayachtnews.com or michael@moore-and-co.com for your chance to have it answered on our podcast. All requests for confidentiality and/or anonymity are respected.

Hiring a lawyer is a big decision. Visit Moore & Company for the legal team's qualifications and experience. And, to learn the latest about superyacht launches, shipyards, designs, and destinations, visit Megayacht News.

Text us your ideas and feedback!

Sanctions enforcement in yachting spreads far beyond Russia-Ukraine headlines. In this episode, we talk through why the U.S. is casting a wider net across superyachts and the people who service them. We dig into how AI-driven pattern spotting turns routine yacht behavior into red flags, and what that means for owners, captains, managers, brokers, and insurers:
• the surge in sanctioned vessels globally and how designations link back to individuals
• why U.S. Treasury attention is expanding beyond yachts to service providers
• how KYC expectations collide with reputational triggers around superyachts
• what “irregular yacht movements” can look like in practice and why previously innocuous measures are becoming a tripwire
• AIS as a compliance signal, when switching it off is justified, and how satellites fill the gaps
• how investigations can build from a yacht’s visibility to allegations like money laundering
• the real-world damage of frozen yachts, from maintenance decay to environmental risk.

Have a yacht law question? Email it to info@megayachtnews.com or michael@moore-and-co.com for your chance to have it answered on our podcast. All requests for confidentiality and/or anonymity are respected.

Hiring a lawyer is a big decision. Visit Moore & Company for the legal team's qualifications and experience. And, to learn the latest about superyacht launches, shipyards, designs, and destinations, visit Megayacht News.