Guidelines and Requirements for Ship Registration of Large Vessels over 500 Gross Tons
The general guidelines and requirements are provided below for your convenience. For the most current information and appropriate forms, please visit the website of our agent, the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR).
- Vessels to be registered should not be more than 20 years of age at the time of registration; however, vessels older than 20 years may be granted a waiver for registration after the owner has applied for and received approval from a classification society, confirming that said vessel is in class and the society is willing to issue statutory certificates to the vessel.
- Vessels over 15 years or more should submit the registration application with a Status report of the vessel’s Special Survey for review.
- No two vessels in the Liberian registry can share the same name. A provisional Certificate of registry and a Temporary Radio Authority, issued upon acceptance of the completed application documents and fees are valid for 12 months and 90 days respectively.
- A Permanent Certificate of Registry is issued a Liberian vessel that has previously received a Provisional Certificate of Registry and has fulfilled other additional requirements.
- According to Section 51 of the Liberian Maritime Law, vessels should be owned by a Liberian citizen or national, although a waiver may be given to permit registration by a non-Liberian entity, provided the owner registers in Liberia as a Foreign Maritime Entity. The registration fee and all subsequent charges which are drawn on a bank or branch in the United States are provided during the registration process.
- Arrangement for registration usually requires advanced notice of about 48 hours (two business days) to ensure that documents issued to the parties concerned are prepared in a timely manner.
- Registration may also be accomplished at many ports throughout the world. When such happens, arrangements are made by contacting the New York office, one (1) week prior to the anticipated closing date to ensure the availability of a nautical inspector within the area affiliated with Liberian Maritime Program.
- Application for registration and related documents may, when time is limited, be transmitted by facsimile which can be temporarily accepted upon an understanding, which must be stated along with facsimile that the original forms will be delivered not later than five (5) business days after the facsimile transmittal.
- Some of the forms and documents required for registration must be authenticated or acknowledged. A formal authentication, acknowledgement, proof of due execution or oath when required for any document, may be made before any of the following persons in accordance with Liberian Maritime Law: 1) A Notary Public; 2) A Special Agent; 3) A Deputy Commissioner; or 4) A Liberian Consul or 5) An Apostille.
Vessels of More than 1600 Net Tons
Vessels of more than 1600 net tons, engaged in foreign trade are eligible for registration in Liberia and are required to be classed by a Classification Society, which is responsible to issue International Statutory Certificates on her behalf. They include: American Bureau of Shipping; Bureau Veritas, Lloyd’s Register of Shipping; Nipon Kaijai Kyokai; Det Norske Veritas; Germanisher Lloyd; Registro italianp; Korea Register of Shipping; China Classification Society; Polski Registr Stakow; and Maritime Register of Shipping.
Mortgage Recordation
Liberian Maritime Law incorporates a range of provisions for the recordation of security related instruments and documents of tile. Recordation gives notice to creditors, purchasers, suppliers and other parties with an interest in such transactions, and furnishes an internationally enforceable structure for the protection of those legal rights recorded with respect to a vessel of the Republic of Liberia. Preferred status gives priority to the lender’s mortgage lien over those of certain other claimants.
Liberian Maritime Law, in conjunction with the International Convention on Maritime Liens and Mortgages of 1993 provides for the maintenance of a public register to be recorded. Such recordation must be made at the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Maritime Affairs in New York. Documents that may be recorded include: Bill of Sale; Mortgages; Satisfactions, Releases or Discharges or Mortgages; Assignments; and other instruments relating to mortgages on Liberian vessels.
A Liberian preferred ship mortgage may, among other things, secure debts owed to a party; contingent obligations; future advances and future debts; a pledge of assignment of monies or rights; revolving credit facilities; amount denominated in one or more currencies and currency losses arising from fluctuations between designated currencies.
Recordation of a Liberian preferred mortgage entitles the parties when appropriate, to receive one or more Certificates of Ownership and Encumbrance and Certificate Extracts of the preferred mortgage index as official evidence of recordation.
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