SCV Code

The SCV Code is the Caribbean Cargo Ship Safety Code, commonly called the Small Commercial Vessel Code, a regional safety standard for small commercial vessels in the Caribbean that operate below the size and voyage thresholds of the main IMO conventions. It sets construction, equipment, manning, and operational requirements proportionate to small craft engaged in regional trade and passenger service. The Caribbean maritime administrations apply it to vessels that fall outside SOLAS, and the IMO recognizes it as a regional instrument addressing a class of ships the global conventions do not fully cover. It fills the regulatory gap below the SOLAS tonnage and voyage limits.