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Isle of Man Ship Registry
The Isle of Man has a proud and distinguished maritime history, the first ship being registered in 1786.
In 1984 it became an independent quality "international" register with a strong emphasis on high standards and efficient service, aimed at providing a quality service for today's discerning owner. The Isle of Man operates a Category One, Red Ensign Group British Register that provides for the registration of ships of any size or type and, consequently, Isle of Man Red Ensign carries non-FoC status (Flag of Convenience).
Today the Isle of Man is a fast growing modern flag registry, with ISO 9001 accreditation (the internationally recognised standard for an organisation's internal quality management), and has a fleet of over 400 ships with a combined tonnage of over 8 million GT. The fleet ranges from tugs to tankers, from VLCC's to superyachts.
The Isle of Man has consistently been at the top of the annual Flag State Performance Table and the Paris Port State Control MOU.
The Isle of Man has four registers, the Main Register covers merchant vessels, commercial and pleasure yachts with the ability to record title and register mortgages. In addition there is the Demise (Bareboat) Charter Register and the Small Ships and Fishing Register for locally owned vessels.
The Registry is highly progressive and dynamic, providing 24/7 cover for registration and surveys.
Staffed by experienced professionals who are all customer focussed, the Registry is able to provide timely, efficient assistance and pragmatic solutions to owners and operators wherever in the world their vessel may be located.
The Registry will provide:
- Twenty-four hour availability of senior staff by phone to answer queries and deal with problems whether from managers or ship's crew
- Fast response to all queries
- Full political support and access to British consular services world-wide
- Immediate friendly advice on complying with all aspects of SOLAS, MARPOL, COLREGS, ISPS, ILO etc.
- A dedicated surveyor assigned to each project
- Support for ships treated unfairly by Port State Control
- Regular advice bulletins on key issues to help owners respond to them
The Registry does not operate a Tonnage Tax system, with no annual fees being placed on the registration of a vessel. Once registered, no further registration fees are applicable. The only charges relate to survey and certification services provided.
The absence of Tonnage Tax fees makes the Isle of Man an extremely cost effective jurisdiction for registration.
In addition, survey and certification fees can be offset by opting to join the “Alternative Fees Scheme”. The scheme allows owners to pay a set fee to cover the cost of a survey, audit and certification charges levied by the Registry. This provides predictability and consistency in accounting for flag costs. Shipowners have the option of paying a monthly fee or quarterly equivalent.
The Isle of Man operates a system of parallel registration. This Demise (Bareboat) Charter Register enables a vessel to “demise” in and out, and should the owner choose, operate under a flag of another jurisdiction.
The registry has adopted a flexible approach to manning. It provides a simple process with an unrivalled speed of service in application for STCW endorsements for officers servicing on Isle o Man flagged vessels, and the list of accepted countries is extensive.
The Ship Registry is already compliant with United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO) inspections and one of the leaders in preparation for entry into force of the Maritime Labour Convention 2006.
The shipping industry on the Isle of Man is supported by numerous professional service providers, including marine lawyers, crew management, accountants, insurance, banks, corporate service providers with maritime expertise and Protection and Indemnity clubs.
This comprehensive infrastructure of quality services for owners and operators ensures that the Isle of Man is at the forefront of the world-wide shipping industry. |
