Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Act 2014

Procedure for application to renew the registration of ship on Register

19. (1) An application for the renewal of ship registration on the Register shall be made on an approved form to the Minister who may grant or refuse the application.

(2) (a) Subject to paragraph (b), an application for renewal of a ship’s registration shall be made—

(i) by the owner or by his or her agent, and

(ii) in the case of a body corporate, by its agent.

(b) The authority of an agent shall be authenticated—

(i) if appointed by the owner, by writing, or

(ii) if appointed by a body corporate, under the seal of the body corporate.

(c) In this subsection “agent” includes a representative person.

(3) The Minister may prescribe the procedures, information, declarations and documentation requirements for making an application for the renewal of ship registration.

(4) An application for the renewal of ship registration shall be made within a time period determined by the Minister in regulations and in a form, manner and accompanied by the prescribed fee and documentation and other supporting information as the Minister may prescribe from time to time.

(5) The Minister may determine the form and manner of applications for the renewal of ship registration and the submission of information in connection with such applications and the method by which such applications may be made which may include applications being made to a central location or electronically online.

(6) An application for the renewal of registration shall not be deemed to have been made until an application is in full compliance with subsection (4) and any regulations or determinations made by the Minister under this section.

(7) A renewal of a ship’s registration shall—

(a) be subject to compliance with registration requirements or other conditions of registration as specified by the Minister when the ship registration is being renewed, and

(b) commence immediately upon the expiration of the current registration and continue in force for the period of validity specified in the certificate of registry not exceeding 10 years from the date of renewal.

(8) Where an application for renewal of a ship’s registration is not made, or not made within the time specified in regulations, the ship in question may be removed from the Register under section 21 (2)(f).

(9) The Minister may refuse to renew a ship registration for stated reasons including having regard to any of the circumstances listed in section 21.