Anguilla
Shipowner Eligibility
Ships are divided into 64 shares. A share may be owned by up to five people or companies or a mix of both as joint owners. Joint owners are considered as one party although all of the names of the joint owners are recorded in the Register as owners of that share or shares. Joint owners must act together to sell or mortgage a vessel or shares.
At least 33 of the 64 shares of a British ship must be wholly owned by one of the following "qualified" persons:
- British citizens
- Persons who are nationals of the EU or EEA and who must make an economic contribution to the UK (having a business, being self employed etc.)
- British Dependent Territories citizens
- British Overseas citizens
- Persons who under the British Nationality Act 1981 are British subjects
- Persons who under the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order are British Nationals Overseas
- Bodies corporate incorporated in one of the EU or EEA countries
- Bodies corporate incorporated in the UK or any relevant British possession and having their principal place of business in the UK or any such possession
- European Economic Interest Groupings
About the Flag
Located in the Caribbean Sea, Anguilla is the most northerly of the Leeward Islands. It is a British Overseas Dependency. Britain’s Queen is the Chief of State represented by a local governor. There is a Unicameral House of Assembly. The legal system is based on English common law. The capital city is The Valley, and the official language is English. The United Kingdom is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, NATO, the EC, the OECD, the UN, and the IMO.
Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on lobster fishing, offshore banking, tourism, and remittances from emigrants. Principal exports are lobster and salt. The unit of currency is the East Caribbean Dollar.
Vessels registered in Anguilla are British vessels. The Registrar of Ships in The Valley administers registration matters, and except for fees, the procedure is based on the UK Merchant Shipping Act of 1894.
For more information on the United Kingdom and its territories, visit the United Kingdom listing.
Company Formation
Four types of company may be formed under the UK's company legislation: a private company limited by shares, a private company limited by guarantee, a private unlimited company, and a public company. Before forming a company, one must submit a Memorandum of Association, Articles of Association, Notification of First Directors and Secretary (Form 10), and a Declaration of Compliance (Form 12), along with a standard registration fee to the Companies House. Overseas qualifying companies are obliged to submit certain additional documents.
Taxation
For more information, contact:
Era Richardson
Technical Office Transport
Registrar of Ships
Ministry of Infrasturcture
Coronation Avenue, The Valley
Anguilla
Tel: 264 497 2651
Fax: 264 497 3651
Email: era.richardson@gov.ai
Registration and Documentation
The local Registrar of Ships is an agent of the UK Registry and handles all aspects of ship registration except reservation of a ship's name. The first step toward registration is to reserve a vessel name with the Registry of Shipping and Seamen in Cardiff, United Kingdom.
A name may be refused if it could be regarded as offensive or if it could cause confusion in an emergency.
If the name chosen is already that of a ship registered, the application will be returned unless an alternate choice has been given and is available. If the name is available, it will be reserved for a period of three months during which time steps must be taken to register the vessel or the name may be reallocated.
Then, the following original documents should be submitted to the Registrar of Ships in The Valley:
- Application to Register Ship
- Declaration of Ownership
- Certificate of Incorporation (and Certificates of Change of Name), if applicable, if owner and/or manager of the vessel is a company
- Appointment of Officers Form authorized under seal
- Certificate of Survey
- Certified Extract from the previous foreign register, if applicable
- Deletion Certificate from the previous foreign register, if applicable
- Builders' Certificate for a newbuilding
- Previous Bill or Bills of Sale showing ownership of the ship for the last five years before the application is made or, if the ship has been registered with full registration at any time within the last five years, Bill or Bills of Sale evidencing all transfers of ownership during the period since it was last registered
All applications, declarations, and Bill of Sale forms are available from the Registrar. The Registrar will not accept photocopies or faxes of documents. Once the Registrar is satisfied that all documents produced are acceptable, he will issue a Carving and Marking Note showing the official number and other details to be marked on the vessel. The Carving and Marking Note must be certified by a surveyor. When the Carving and Marking Note is returned and all fees have been paid, the ship is formally registered and a Certificate of Registry will be issued.
Bareboat Charter Registration
Bareboat charter registration into or out of Anguilla is not allowed.
Vessel and Yacht Eligibility & Survey Requirements
Passenger vessels are not accepted in Anguilla.
Every ship must be surveyed before registration. The following approved classification societies are authorized to survey ships for the purpose of registration:
- American Bureau of Shipping
- Bureau Veritas
- Det Norske Veritas
- Lloyd's Register of Shipping
Crewing
There is no restriction on the nationality of ratings and in the case of the officers all EEA certificates have been approved (Equivalency Agreements), and the following non-European Union countries have similar approval, namely:
Australia, Brazil, Canada, Croatia, Estonia, Hong Kong, India, Jamaica, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States.
Mortgages
A ship, or shares in a ship, can be used as security for a loan. The mortgage is in a standard one-page form and is available from the RSS. This provides additional security for the mortgagor, as the mortgage remains on the UK register until the mortgage is discharged, even if the ship changes name or is sold to new owners.
Discharge of the mortgage is simply done by the mortgagor returning the deed, with the discharge section completed. The discharge is registered and the deed returned; there is no fee for this service.
Fees
For fees, please click here.
Contact
Government of Anguilla
Commercial Registry
P.O. Box 60
The Valley
AI-2640
Anguilla
British West Indies
Tel: [1] 264-497-3881/2451
Fax: [1] 264-497-8053
Website: http://www.commercialregistry.ai
Registrar
Mr. Lanston Connor
Lanston_c@anguillafsd.com
Deputy Registrar
Mr. Lonnie L. Hobson
Lonnie_h@anguillafsd.com
ACORN Administrative Officer
Mrs. Mishline Leader
Mishline_T@anguillafsd.com
Intellectual Property Officer
Mrs. Judith Webster
Judith_W@anguillafsd.com
Clerical Officer
Ms. Jemmi Graneau
jemmi_g@anguillafsd.com
Clerical Officer
Ms. Karissa Rogers
karissa_r@anguillafsd.com
Stockholm Agreement 96
IMO Convention 48
* IMO amendments 91
* IMO amendments 93
SOLAS Convention 74
SOLAS Protocol 78
SOLAS Protocol 88
LOAD LINES Convention 66
LOAD LINES Protocol 88
TONNAGE Convention 69
COLREG Convention 72
CSC Convention 72
CSC amendments 93
SFV Protocol 93
STCW Convention 78
STCW-F Convention 95
SAR Convention 79
STP Agreement 71
STP Protocol 73
IMSO Convention 76
INMARSAT OA 76
INMARSAT amendments 94
INMARSAT amendments 98
IMSO amendments 2006
IMSO amendments 2008
FACILITATION Convention 65
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex I/II)
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex IV)
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex V)
MARPOL Protocol 97 (Annex VI)
London Convention 72
London Convention Protocol 96
INTERVENTION Convention 69
INTERVENTION Protocol 73
CLC Convention 69
CLC Protocol 76
CLC Protocol 92
FUND Convention 71
FUND Protocol 92
FUND Protocol 2003
NUCLEAR Convention 71
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex III)
PAL Protocol 76
PAL Protocol 90
PAL Protocol 02
LLMC Convention 76
LLMC Protocol 96
SUA Convention 2005
SUA Protocol 2005
SALVAGE Convention 89
OPRC Convention 90
HNS Convention 96
OPRC/HNS 2000
BUNKERS CONVENTION 01
ANTI FOULING 01
BALLASTWATER 2004
NAIROBI WRC 2007
HONG KONG CONVENTION
HNS PROT 2010
Cape Town Agreement 2012
SUA Convention 88
SUA Protocol 88
IMO Conventions
Status of Conventions Anguilla (Member of the Red Ensign Group)
IMO Convention 48 x
SOLAS Convention 74 x
SOLAS Protocol 78 x
SOLAS Protocol 88 x
SOLAS Agreement 96 x
LOAD LINES Convention 66 x
LOAD LINES Protocol 88 x
TONNAGE Convention 69 x
COLREG Convention 72 x
CSC Convention 72 x
CSC amendments 93
SFV Protocol 93
Cape Town Agreement 2012
STCW Convention 78 x
STCW-F Convention 95
SAR Convention 79 x
STP Agreement 71 x
Space STP Protocol 73 x
IMSO Convention 76 x
INMARSAT OA 76 x
IMSO amendments 2006
IMSO amendments 2008
FACILITATION Convention 65 x
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex I/II) x
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex III) x
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex IV) x
MARPOL 73/78 (Annex V) x
MARPOL Protocol 97 (Annex VI) x
London Convention 72 x
London Convention Protocol 96 x
INTERVENTION Convention 69 x
INTERVENTION Protocol 73 x
CLC Convention 69 d
CLC Protocol 76 d
CLC Protocol 92 x
FUND Protocol 76 d
FUND Protocol 92 x
FUND Protocol 2003 x
NUCLEAR Convention 71
PAL Convention 74 d
PAL Protocol 76 d
PAL Protocol 90
PAL Protocol 02 x
LLMC Convention 76 d
LLMC Protocol 96 x
SUA Convention 88 x
SUA Protocol 88 x
SUA Convention 2005
SUA Protocol 2005
SALVAGE Convention 89 x
OPRC Convention 90 x
HNS Convention 96
HNS PROT 2010
OPRC/HNS 2000
BUNKERS CONVENTION 01 x
ANTI FOULING 2001 x
BALLASTWATER 2004
NAIROBI WRC 2007 x
HONG KONG CONVENTION
x= ratification
d=denunciation