Ships Certificates part seven: The identity documents
How do we define a ship?
The first certificate we’ll cover in this article is required for all ships on international voyages, regardless of size:
Certificate of Registry
We will also cover a certificate required for cargo ships of 500GT and over, and passenger vessels of any size, engaged in international voyages:
Continuous Synopsis Record
Finally, we’ll cover a certificate that, while a vessel is not required to have it, almost all do:
Certificate of class.
The Tonnage Certificate and the Load Line Certificate, along with the three certificates listed above, are considered to define a ship.
Relevant documents and M-notices: MGN 660, MSF 5623 A, MGN 322, MSN 1672
Certificate of Registry
The existence of a British Register of Ships is provided for under the Merchant Shipping Act (1995) Part II - Registration. Regulations 8-23 lay out the requirements for registry. In some ways you can think of the Certificate of Registry as the ship’s passport; it tells you the nationality of the ship.
Process
There is an online service, which removes the requirement for MSF 5547 and MSF 4727. Otherwise:
Complete MSF 5547. This generally happens at the new-build stage.
The UKSR (United Kingdom Ship Register) then check if the vessel is entitled to flag to the UK.
One the check is complete, the vessel is assigned a Key Account Manager and a Customer Services Manager, to assist with all parts of the flagging-in process and the ships ongoing time with the UK flag.
The vessel must pay a fee and provide all the documentation requested by the UKSR; there is a comprehensive list here.
Once the documentation is received and approved, a Carving and Marking Note is issued; this needs to be witnessed by a UK Recognised Organisation (RO). When completed it will need to be returned to the UKSR, and the Certificate of Registry can then be issued.
The Certificate of Registry is valid for five years.
Continuous Synopsis Record
This remains with the vessel for the life of the vessel, and provides an on-board record of the history of the ship. It is required under SOLAS Chapter XI-1, Regulation 5 and this requirement is made into UK law by The Merchant Shipping (Special Measures to Enhance Maritime Safety) Regulations 2024. For UK-flagged ships the CSR is obtained by applying to the UKSR. You can think of the CSR as a detailed life-history of the ship.
It must contain the following information:
The flag state of the vessel, and when it registered with that state
The ships identification number
The name of the ship
The port where the ship was registered
The name of the registered owner, and their registered address
The registered owner’s identification number
The name of the bareboar charterer and their registered address
The company identification number
The name of all classification societies with which the vessel is classed
The name of the organisation that issued the Document of Compliance
The name of the organisation that issued the Safety Management Certificate
The name of the organisation that issued the International Ship Security Certificate
The date on which the ship ceased to be registered with a state
The CSR records every change of:
Owner
Flag
Name
Class
ISM Code requirements
The CSR remains onboard the ship even if she changes flag state. It must be readily available for examination by agents of the flag state at any time. Port state control will also check the CSR as a matter of routine.
If any of the ship’s CSR records are lost or damaged it is essential that they are restored as quickly as possible in order to avoid delays to the ship’s voyage. To do this, contact the RSS and they will provide signed and stamped duplicates. There is a charge for issuing CSR documentation.
The CSR consists of three forms.
Form 1 - This is the CSR itself.
Form 2 - This is the record of amendments.
Form 3 - This is an index of amendments.
Procedure
Form two looks the same as form one. Put ‘NC’ in any field that has not been changed, and put the new detail (flag state, class society, owner etc.) in the field that has been changed. Make copies of Form 1 and Form 2. Staple the original Form 1 and Form 2 together and send them to the RSS. You should receive a new Form 1 within three months. Keep ALL Form 1s and 2s. Update Form 3.
Certificate of Class
The requirement for vessels to be built to class standards comes from SOLAS Chapter II-A regulation 3-1:
ships shall be designed, constructed and maintained in compliance with the structural, mechanical and electrical requirements of a classification society which is recognized by the Administration …or with applicable national standards of the Administration which provide an equivalent level of safety.
This applies to all passenger vessels and all cargo vessels of 500GT or more. You can think of the Certificate of Class as the class society vouching for the ship.
For masters candidates: We won’t get into too much detail here, but the issue of a Certificate of Class requires that a vessel meet or exceed the standards laid down by a class society. These standards are in turn based on the Unified Requirements published by the International Association of Classification Societies, which are in turn based on International Conventions, National law, industry best practice and lessons learned from accidents.
Application for a certificate of class generally happens during the new-build stage, with class being involved from the design stage of the vessel. The following aspects of the vessel are subject to class:
Hull
Machinery
Electrical installations
Control installations
A Certificate of Class from one of the Recognised Organisations states that, by meeting the class standards, the vessel has met (or exceeded) the standards required by UK law.
The Certificate of Class is subject to annual surveys within 3 months of the first and fourth anniversaries, with annual or intermediate surveys within three months of the 3rd and 4th anniversaries. These are generally held in conjunction with the periodic Load Line, and annual safety construction surveys. Every fifth anniversary is a special survey, and there must be a special survey following any change or significant repair to the vessel.
Which classification societies are recognised by the MCA?
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
Bureau Veritas SA (BV)
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (ClassNK)
DNV
Lloyd’s Register (LR)
RINA Services S.p.A (RINA)
On ‘classing in’ a vessel will be assigned a number (for example, with Lloyds Register, a ‘LR’ number). This is distinct from the IMO number and Official Number of the vessel.
MCAQs
Explain how you would go about applying for and maintaining a CSR. What information is contained in the CSR, how do the forms work etc.
Explain what a Certificate of Registry is.
Explain what a Certificate of Class is.
What are the RO’s by the MCA?