IRClass: Rules and Regulations for the Construction and Classification of High Speed Crafts and Light Crafts

Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) 1 June 2023 published the consolidated version of the Rules and Regulations for the Construction and Classification of High Speed Crafts and Light Crafts.

This document became effective on 1 July 2023 and supersedes the July 2022 edition.

The following rules apply to:

a) All crafts for which the "International Code of Safety of High Speed Craft (HSC Code), 2000" applies, i.e.:

  • High-speed passenger crafts: These rules are applicable to high-speed passenger crafts that do not travel for more than 4 hours at 90% of their maximum speed from a safe place during their journey.
  • High-speed cargo crafts: The rules also apply to high-speed cargo crafts weighing 500 tons or more, which do not travel for more than 8 hours at 90% of their maximum speed from a safe place while carrying a full load.

b) Other fast crafts: Additionally, these rules cover fast crafts made of lightweight materials that don't fall under the previous categories, but have a maximum speed (V) equal to or greater than 4.8 times the square root of the cube root of their displacement (Δ1/6).

The version of these rules incorporates changes made in the Rules Change Notice No. 1 published in March 2023.

To make it easier for users, a summary of the additions and amendments made in various Rule Change Notices issued since July 2022 is included in the respective tables.

This edition of the rules also includes amendments made after the publication of Rules Change Notice No. 1 in March 2023. These amendments are listed in Table 1.


For more information, please see the document below (available only to subscribers):


Rules and Regulations for the Construction and Classification of High Speed Crafts and Light Crafts