Guide to registration
For a PDF version of the step-by-step guide, please click here.
Step by step guide to registration and certification of Merchant Ships joining Parts I and IV of the UK Ship Register
This guide is designed to help you through the registration process by explaining the procedures and documentation required for ships applying to join the UK Ship Register.
Getting started
Your first step will be to complete a ship registration proforma, which provides us with the necessary information to check your ship qualifies for UK registration.
If your ship does qualify, you will then be assigned a Customer Account Manager (CAM), who will be your dedicated point of contact for administration and general policy matters, and will guide you through the transfer of your ship on to the Register. In addition, you will also be assigned a Customer Service Manager (CSM) who will deal with the technical issues regarding the survey and inspection of your ship during the ‘Flag-In’ process.
Required documents for Part I registration
The following documents are required for Part I registration and can be obtained from this website.
Forms
Supporting Documentation
Required documents for Part IV (bareboat charter) registration
The following documents are required for Part IV registration and can be obtained from this website.
Forms
Supporting Documentation
Once the application is complete, a Carving and Marking note will be issued to the attending surveyor. Once signed and returned the Certificate of Registry can be issued.
To speed up the registration process, faxed or electronic documents can be initially accepted with the originals being submitted on conclusion of registration. Please also note that any documents used to support your application for Part I or IV if in a foreign language must be accompanied by a translation and certified as correct by a Public Notary.
Further to the registration process above, the following areas may also need to be considered before the ship can operate under the UK flag.
Safe manning
Seafarer certificates
Medical certificates
Maritime security
Radio communications
ISM code
Crew agreements
Crew accommodation
Stability
Survey
Alternative compliance scheme
List of recognised organisations
An application for a Safe Manning Document is required for each ship joining the UK Ship Register and should be made at the time of applying for registration and no later than two weeks prior to final registration.
Form: MSF 4227 - Safe Manning Document
More information: MSN 1767 - Hours of Work, Safe Manning and Watchkeeping
In addition to this application form, we also need a covering letter containing your telephone, fax and email contact information; details of any sister ships on the UK Ship Register; and confirmation of the date the Safe Manning Document is required. A General Arrangement plan is required unless a sister ship is already on the UK Ship Register.
To confirm manning levels are operationally viable and that working hours and rest periods meet regulations, we also require a typical seven-day voyage plan. Software will be provided for this purpose after the initial assessment of the application. Alternatively, monthly Hours of Rest records for the whole crew can be submitted using MSN 1767 Annex B.
Contact details
Tel: +44 (0)23 8032 9231
Fax: +44 (0)23 8032 9252
Email: safemanning@mcga.gov.uk
In accordance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW), unless the officers onboard a UK registered vessel hold a UK Certificate of Competency (CoC) they require a Certificate of Equivalent Competency (CEC) issued by the MCA. CECs are available to officers who hold a CoC issued in accordance with the STCW '95 amendment from a country whose standards of competency and training are considered to be equivalent to those of the UK (See MGN 221 Annex 1).
Subject to CECs, there are no nationality restrictions associated with officers or crew sailing on UK vessels except that in the case of strategic ships the Master must be a British, British Commonwealth, NATO or EU national, or a national of a state which is party to the EEA Agreement. “Strategic” vessels are defined as fishing vessels over 24 metres in length, Class 1 passenger ships of 500gt or more certified to carry more than 300 passengers, ro-ros and product tankers.
Before making an application, please make sure you have read and are familiar with the following documents:
| MGN 221 (M) | Training and Certification Guidance - Part 19 Certificates of Equivalent Competency |
| MIN 340 (M&F) | Certificates of Equivalent Competency - Amendment of Procedures |
Further information can also be found here (links to Business Link)
Contact Us
For information and advice, please contact a member of the CEC team Mondays - Fridays, 9.30am to 4.30pm at the MCA headquarters in Southampton.
Tel: +44 (0)23 8032 9231
Fax: +44 (0)23 8032 9252
Email: cec@mcga.gov.uk
In order to serve on a merchant ship registered on the UK Ship Register the Master and crew must comply with the requirements of the Merchant Shipping Medical Examination Regulations.
These require seafarers working in any capacity on board a UK registered ship, to hold a valid UK seafarer medical certificate (ENG 1) which can only be issued by doctors approved by the UK Ship Register as shown on the link below.
Alternatively, certificates can be issued by approved countries whose standards are accepted as equivalent to the UK.
Related documents
Where there is a particular need for certificates to be issued in areas where there is little or no access to approved doctors, companies may apply to us for approval of their own doctor to issue certificates for company employees only. Examination facilities must be shore-based as medical examinations are not permitted on board ship.
You are required to arrange approval and verification of the Ship Security Plan (SSP) to meet the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code and SOLAS Amendments 2002. Copies of the ISPS Code (Publication Code 116E) can be purchased from the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on:
Tel: +44 (0)20 7735 7611
Email: publications-sales@imo.org
For each ship, the Company Security Officer must submit an SSP which meets the ISPS Code and SOLAS XI-2 for approval, together with the UK Ship Security Instructions relevant to the ship type, which is to be accompanied by the Ship Security Assessment.
For passenger ships please contact:
TRANSEC
105 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6DT
Tel: +44 (0)20 7944 2844
Fax: +44 (0)20 7944 2175
For cargo ships your CAM/CSM will provide details of who will be approving the SSP and their contact details.
Verification of Ship’s Security System
The security system of every ship on the UK Ship Register requires verification before a certificate can be issued. For passenger ships please contact TRANSEC (contact details above) and for cargo ships the required document is form MSF 5100 which, when completed, should be forwarded to your CAM/CSM.
Ship Security Alert System (SSAS)
The ship’s equipment will need to be programmed with MRCC Falmouth and your application form MSF 5608 
can be emailed to falmouthcoastguard@mcga.gov.uk or faxed to: +44 (0)13 2631 9264.
Training Requirements for Company and Ship Security Officers
Your Company Security Officers and Ship Security Officers are required to undergo UK Ship Register approved training. In multi-flag fleets, if less than 50% of your company’s fleet in terms of ship numbers is UK registered other approved training is accepted for the Company Security Officer.
Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR)
The UK Ship Register requires an updated Continuous Synopsis Record (CSR) document: CSR ‘Form 2’ which is issued during registration. A copy of this CSR ‘Form 2’ should also be sent to the previous Flag Administration so they can issue their final CSR document.
Copies of all the relevant ship security instructions and forms can be obtained through your CAM or CSM.
The UK Radio Regulator is Ofcom and as the administrator on behalf of a company you will need to complete and generate all radio licenses. If you manage several companies you will need to register each company under its separate name.
Radio Licence
You need to apply for a Ship Radio Licence. Registration online is free of charge and is available here. Applications by post using form OF347 (for which there is a fee per licence) should be submitted to:
Spectrum Licensing
Ofcom Licensing Centre
PO Box 56373
London
SE1 9SZ
For assistance please contact Ofcom Licensing Centre at:
Tel: 020 7981 3040 or 0300 123 1000
Fax: 020 7981 3235
E-mail: spectrum.licensing@ofcom.org.uk
MMSI Number & Callsign
The MMSI number and callsign will change with the issue of a new radio licence. Arrange with your shore based maintainer for all GMDSS equipment to be re-programmed with new MMSI numbers prior to survey.
Radio Survey
A list of authorised persons for radio surveys of passenger ships (classed and unclassed), fishing vessels (classes and unclassed) and unclassed cargo ships is now available on MCA's public website here.
Owners of the relevant vessel types must approach these authorised persons directly, not through class. These authorised personnel have the necessary declarations and records of equipment to submit to the MCA Marine Office issuing the relevant certification. In the case of unclassed cargo ships the certificate will be prepared by Survey Operations Branch for issue by the authorised person.
Classed cargo ship owners must arrange survey and certification through their class society NOT through the authorised persons.
Further information can be found in MGN 392
.
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) Registration
You must arrange for EPIRB mandatory registration through MRCC Falmouth either online or by contacting:
Tel:+44 (0) 1326 211569
Fax:+44 (0) 1326 319260
email:epirb@mcga.gov.uk
You will need to arrange decommissioning/re-commissioning of all Satcom IDs with your airtime provider.
For COSPAS-SARSAT 406MHz: EPIRBS serial coding should be used.
For INMARSAT 1.6GHz: EPIRBS INMARSAT London should be contacted at:
Inmarsat Global Limited
99 City Road
London
EC1Y 1AX
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7728 1777
Fax: +44 (0)20 7728 1142
email: customer_care@inmarsat.com
Long Range Identification Tracking (LRIT)
SOLAS V/19-1 Long-Range Identification and Tracking regulation has now been implemented in the UK.
The regulation applies to ships engaged on international voyages, including all passenger and cargo ships over 300 gross tonnes.
All Document of Compliance (DOC) and Safety Management Certificate audits are conducted by the UK Ship Register. Your ISM application should be made using form MSF 5100.
Document of Compliance
In multi-flag fleets, if less than 50% of your company’s fleet is UK registered, the MCA would not carry out a DOC Audit but would authorise the Flag state (White or Grey listed on Paris MOU List) or its Recognised Organisation (RO) approved by UK to issue a DOC on behalf of UK.
In the event that more than 50% of your company’s fleet in terms of ship numbers is UK registered, the company’s safety management system(office) will require auditing, which will be conducted at the main premises from where the safety management system is managed, generally the location from which the Designated Person operates.
Safety Management Certificates
Every ship on the UK Ship Register requires auditing in order for a Safety Management Certificate (SMC) to be issued.
ISO 9001:2000 and ISO14001:2004 Certification
To meet the growing demand for harmonised audits MCAQA is now accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to certify customers’ ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 systems. Transfer from other certification bodies will be considered.
There is more information on the QA pages at the MCA website.
You are required to make arrangements for an approved UK Crew Agreement (Pre-approved (ALC 1) (BSF) 1(d) plus attachments or ALC (NFD) 1(d)) or a non-standard version approved by UK Ship Register.
There are two standard approved agreements: ‘Federated’ or ‘Non-Federated’ - both of which ensure compliance with the minimum standards as required under international conventions. These are required to be supported by a List of Crew.
As an alternative we will give consideration to other forms of crew agreement proposed by a ship owner/operator. However, any such agreement will be required to comply with UK merchant shipping and general legislation and may not contain anything which conflicts with such legislation or seeks to apply the law of any country outside the UK. If approval of a non standard agreement is required, such approval should be sought as soon as possible as it is a requirement that an approved crew agreement be in place before a UK registered vessel goes to sea.
The provisions of the Staff Handbook and any extra provisions added to the Contractual Clauses must be in compliance with UK legislation, particularly merchant shipping legislation covering seafarer’s and the employer’s rights and obligations.
To meet the Crew Agreement requirements you will need the following:
More information on these requirements are contained in MGN 148(M).
Crew Agreement documentation and Log books can be obtained over the counter at any MCA Marine Office in the UK or by post through our distribution agents:
EC Group
Europa Park
Magnet Road
Grays
Essex
RM20 4DN
United Kingdom;
Tel: +44 (0) 845 603 2431
Fax: +44 (0) 1375 484 556
email: mca@ecgroup.uk.com.
You will need to inform EC Group of the forms required and the quantity.
Any UK registered ship must comply with the United Kingdom Merchant Shipping (Crew Accommodation) Regulations 1997, Statutory Instrument 1997/1508, which implements ILO 92 and ILO 133 on crew accommodation.
If the ship joining the UK Ship Register is a new build, the requirements of the Crew Accommodation Regulations should be considered at the design stage. A ship transferring to the UK Ship Register will require an inspection in accordance with ILO Convention, which will include an inspection to ascertain it meets the required Crew Accommodation Regulations.
If there are overriding circumstances preventing either a new build or a transfer ship from complying with these requirements then it will be necessary for the ship owner to apply for an exemption from the relevant provision of the regulations, which may not necessarily be granted at which time it will be the responsibility of the owner to correct any deficiencies before the ship will be accepted onto the UK Ship Register.
Each ship, either new-build or transferring from another Flag, must be surveyed before it can be registered on the UK Ship Register. Our general policy is for such surveys to be carried out by our own surveyors; however, under certain circumstances surveys can be carried out by a Class surveyor on our behalf. A transfer of flag survey can be arranged to suit the trading pattern of the ship to avoid any lost time.
Your survey application should be made using form MSF5100. You will be required to submit a copy of all existing statutory certification in order that new certificates can be prepared prior to survey. If, on completion of survey, the surveyor is satisfied that your ship meets international standards and UK regulations, where relevant, of safety and pollution prevention, short-term certification can be issued immediately. Full term certification would then follow in due course.
More information
EU Marine Equipment Directive
The MCA statement on the EU Marine Equipment Directive, its effect on ships flagging in and under construction outside of Europe as UK ships.
Certification, plans and operational information
Plans and other information, which the CSM will discuss with the owner.
Stability approval has been delegated to selected Classification Societies and Certifying Authorities for some ship types. This link summarises the authorisations for stability approval by ship type, however, where doubt exists please contact the Stability Unit for further guidance.
It is important that the stability submission to the Stability Unit is made at the earliest practicable stage in the newbuilding/conversion/flag-in process. All stability work should be completed prior to inclining test such that it only remains for the final lightship to be inserted in place of the preliminary estimate to allow full approval.
Contact details
Tel: +44 (0) 1475 553 370
Email: stability_unit@mcga.gov.uk
Under this voluntary scheme the survey and certification process is streamlined by minimising duplication of effort with the classification societies. When a ship is registered under the Alternative Compliance Scheme (ACS) it allows the Classification Society to perform all statutory surveys required under SOLAS, MARPOL and Load Line Conventions with the exception of ISM, ISPS and ILO 178, without a formal ‘appointment’ by the UK Ship Register.
Entry into the scheme is conditional upon Port State Control and Class criteria being met.
To apply, please complete MSF 4753.
Further information can be found in MGN 345.
List of Recognised Organisations
AMERICAN BUREAU OF SHIPPING
ABS House
1 Frying Pan Alley
London
E1 7HS
www.eagle.org
BUREAU VERITAS
Tower Bridge Court
224-226 Tower Bridge Road
London
SE1 2TX
www.bureauveritas.co.uk
CLASS NK
6th Floor, Finsbury Circus House
12-15 Finsbury Circus
London
EC2M 7EB
www.classnk.or.jp
DET NORSKE VERITAS
Palace House
3 Cathedral Street
London
SE1 8DE
www.dnv.com
GERMANISCHER LLOYD
Elmcourt
53 Elmcroft Road
Orpington
BR6 0HZ
www.gl-group.com
LLOYD’S REGISTER OF SHIPPING
71 Fenchurch Street
London
EC3M 4BS
www.lr.org
REGISTRO ITALIANO NAVAL
Registro Italiano Navale UK Limited
4th floor, Kingston House
29-31, Kingston Crescent
Portsmouth
PO2 8AA
www.rina.it