Singapore

A vessel may be provisionally registered.
The Provisional Certificate is valid for a maximum period of one year with no possibility of any extension. The vessel must be transferred to the permanent register before the end of this period. The transfer will be effected when all the outstanding documents for permanent registration are submitted.
No fee is charged for this transfer.
Documents to be submitted for Provisional Registration are the:
• Completed application form (details below).
• Company’s business profile (details below).

Application form
• Download and complete the application form for provisional registration.
• Where the vessel owner is an individual, the declaration in the application form may be signed by him or his appointed agent.
• Where the owner is a corporate body, the form may be signed by a Director or the Secretary of the corporate body.
• The declaration must be made on or after the date of acquiring the legal title to the vessel.
• The declaration must be made before the Director of Marine, a surveyor of ships, a Justice of the Peace, a Commissioner for Oaths or any person authorised to take or receive a declaration by any laws in force in Singapore.
• If an application is made for a postdated Certificate of Registry, the completed application form, except for the signature(s) of the declarant(s), must be submitted at least three working days before the date on which the certificate is to be collected. On the date of registration, the declarant(s) must be present to attest his/their signature(s) and date the declaration.

Business profile
The business profile lists the company’s particulars as lodged with the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).
• Where the vessel owner is a company incorporated in Singapore, the application form must be accompanied by one of the following documents:
• A computer printout on the company from the ACRA’s Instant Information Service, accompanied by a Certificate of Production of Statement by Computer.The computer printout to be submit must be the latest or at least dated 3 months from the date of vessel's registation. (Vessel owners can apply for a Business Profile computer report from the Registry of Ships counter for the purpose of registration. Application must be made at least three working days before the vessel's registration date. The fee for each Business Profile printout is S$5.00, inclusive of GST).

• Business Profile certified copies of all the following:
• Certificate of Incorporation.
• Annual return or filing, giving particulars of directors, managers and secretaries (the latest annual return or Form 49). The annual return/filing can be obtained online from www.bizfile.gov.sg (under iShop@ACRA).
• Return of allotment of shares (the latest annual return or Form 24). The annual return/filing can be obtained online from www.bizfile.gov.sg (under iShop@ACRA).
• The owner must notify the Registrar of Ships of any changes in the particulars pertaining to the ship, within 30 days of the change. All such notification must be accompanied by appropriate documentary evidence.
• Where the owner is a company, information will be required on its direct and indirect equity holders, but only to the extent necessary to establish whether the owner is local or foreign owned company. This information, other than the name and address of the company, will be kept strictly confidential.

Appointment of an agent
An agent may be appointed to sign the declaration in the provisional registration application form. To appoint an agent, the owner must complete the Appointment of Agent form.
• Where the owner is an individual, he may appoint an agent. The owner must sign the appointment form in the presence of a witness.
• Where the owner is a company and if the provisional registration application form is not signed by a Director or the Secretary of the company, then a person must be appointed as an agent for the purpose of signing the form. The appointment of the agent must be executed under the common seal of the company.

Appointment of a manager
The vessel manager is responsible for the operations of the vessel, in particular, for all matters related to the crew, safety and prevention of pollution. All communication relating to the vessel will be directed to the manager.
To appoint a manager, the owner must complete the Appointment of Manager form.

For every Singapore vessel, the owner must appoint a manager, whose residence is in Singapore.
• Where the owner is an individual, he may appoint himself as the manager.
• Where the owner is a company, it may appoint an employee of the company to be the manager.
• Where a company is appointed manager, the name of the person in the company with the ultimate responsibility for the vessel and his designation in the company must be clearly indicated.

If there is a change in the manager, the vessel owner must complete a new form and submit it to the Registrar of Ships within seven days of the change.
Evidence of ownership
The following are required as proof of ownership:
• For a new vessel, a photocopy of the Builder’s Certificate is required.
• For an existing vessel, a copy of the Bill of Sale or the transcript of its former registry, or any other similar document showing ownership is required.

Value of the vessel
The owner must declare the value of the vessel in Singapore dollars (S$) on the company’s letterhead if this is not reflected in other documents submitted (i.e. Bill of Sale).
Tonnage certificate
All vessels must have their tonnage determined in accordance with the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Tonnage) Regulations (which gives effect to the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969 (TM 69)).
• A tonnage certificate may be issued by the MPA’s Shipping Division or any of the classification societies authorised by the MPA.
• A TM 69 Tonnage Certificate issued by the government of a contracting state to TM 69 may be accepted for provisional registration only. The vessel must have its tonnage certificate re-issued by the MPA’s Shipping Division or any one of the authorised classification societies not later than one year after its initial registration. Should there be any difference in the net tonnage, the registration fee and the annual tonnage tax payable will be adjusted accordingly.
• The tonnage of a Singapore vessel may not be re-determined except in accordance with the provisions of the Regulations mentioned above and re-registration / registration anew may be required. If the intention is to convert or modify the vessel after registration before it is put into service, it should be clearly stated in the application form that the tonnage given is an interim figure.
• In the case of a new construction (newbuild), an interim tonnage certificate issued by the MPA’s shipping division or one of the authorised classification societies is required.

Acceptance of provisional registration
• Upon satisfying the requirements stated above, the Certificate of Registry and a Carving and Marking Note will be issued.
• The Carving and Marking Note has to be certified by a surveyor from the MPA’s Shipping Division or one of the authorised classification societies and returned to the Registry within 30 days of its issuance date.

Permanent Registration
In addition to the documents required for a provisional registration, a vessel may be permanently registered or transferred to the permanent registry with the submission of the following documents.
Evidence of ownership
• An original copy of the evidence of ownership is required:
• For a new vessel, the Builder’s Certificate is required.
• For an existing vessel, the Bill of Sale and a certified transcript of its former registry or any other similar document showing previous ownership are required.
• If there are any intervening changes in ownership, all the intermediate Bills of Sale must also be submitted. There must be continuity of title.
• Any Builder's Certificate or Bill of Sale that is executed outside Singapore must be notarised and legalised. If executor is not a local and documents are executed in Singapore, a letter of confirmation from the executor or notarisation of the documents is required.
• It is the vessel owners’ responsibility to ensure that the Bill of Sale or Builder’s Certificate is properly executed and conveys good title to them.
• A copy of the original document of title to ownership must be submitted together with a copy. The original document will be returned with an endorsement after completion of the registration formalities.
•
Tonnage certificate
A copy of the full-term tonnage certificate issued by the MPA’s Shipping Division or one of the authorised classification societies is required.
• All vessels must have their tonnage determined in accordance with the provisions of the Merchant Shipping (Tonnage) Regulations (which gives effect to the International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, 1969 (TM 69)).

Statutory certificate
Where applicable, the owner must produce copies of the vessel’s valid statutory certificates such as:

• Passenger Ship Safety, Cargo Ship Safety Construction, Cargo Ship Safety Equipment, Cargo Ship Safety Radiotelegraphy/Radiotelephony,
• International Load Line/Local Freeboard,
• International/Singapore Oil Pollution Prevention,
• Noxious Liquid Substance,
• Certificate of Fitness, and
• Thirty Mile/Port Limit Passenger Ship Safety Certificates,
• Document of Compliance
• Safety Management Certificate
• International Ship Security (ISS) Certificate

These certificates must be issued by the MPA’s Shipping Division or one of the authorised classification societies.
Evidence of cancellation of the former registry
• Where the vessel has, at any point in time, been registered in another country, evidence of cancellation of the former registry is required.
• The evidence may be in the form of a Deletion Certificate or a ‘closed’ transcript of the former registry.
• The original document is required.
• A vessel that has been struck off the former registry for non-compliance with mandatory requirements will not be accepted for registration.

Certified Carving and Marking Note
The Carving and Marking Note certified by a surveyor from the MPA’s Shipping Division or one of the authorised classification societies must be returned to the Registry within 30 days of its issue.
Acceptance of registration
• Upon completion of all the formalities, the vessel will be transferred to the Permanent Register and the Certificate of Registry will be issued.
• No fee is charged for this transfer.
• Ship managers will be informed by fax to collect their Permanent Certificate of Registry in exchange for their Provisional Certificate of Registry.
• If they are unable to produce the Provisional Certificate upon collection, they may produce an official letter undertaking the return of the Provisional Certificate within the next 30 days.

Information about re-registration, Bills of Sale registration and closure of registry can be found on the MPA website.