Vessel Registration

Registration of Vessels dates back almost nine hundred years to the maritime laws of Oleron (Circa 1160) but became more relevant in the eras of piracy and colonial exploitation. The original purpose of registering a ship under the national flag was to give that vessel the protection of the government whose flag the vessel flew as a sign of the nation to which it belonged. In Solomon Island Shipping Act 1998 there is still a section 7 that states where a vessel that is required to be registered under the act is not so registered, the vessel shall not be entitled-

1. To any benefit, privilege, advantage or protection usually enjoyed by a vessel registered under the act; or
2. To use the national flag or to assume the national character, or in any other way indicate that it is a registered vessel;

More details of vessels registration in Solomon Islands are in the Shipping Act 1998 – from section 9 to 52 and shipping (registration) Regulation 2010 The modern purpose of ships registration is to establish a link between the owner and the state in which the vessel is registered, and to satisfy the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) which requires every vessel to be registered in a state, but it must not be registered in more than one state at a time. This is one reason why a Certificate of Deletion is so important. A vessel that is brought to Solomon Islands for registration must be removed from its former register before it can be registered in Solomon Islands. Registration requirements:

• Application Registration form: Download vessel registration form
• Original Builders Certificates (from the builder)
• Original of Bill of Sale (invoice)
• Deletion/deregistration certificate (by the owner)
• Stability booklet (from the builder)
• Original of legal company registration (Company Business Haus)
• Declaration of ownership
• Radio license certificate (call sign): to be coordinated with TCSI –  www.tcsi.org.sb
•  To be produced by SIMSA compliance division:
  • Tonnage Measurement Certificate
  • Carving and Marking Notes
  • Load Line Certificate
  • Survey report

For any question related to vessel registration please send an email to ShippingOperations@sima.gov.sb.  

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B2B SIMA EGATE

• Domestic / International Daily Tracking
• Domestic Vessels’ Registry