Venezuela

From the administrative point of view the shipping registration process has improved, since the dual registration procedure (requiring inscription of documentation before the maritime authority as well as the public registry) was repealed by the now enacted legislation. Thus,
the Venezuelan Shipping Registry, the so-called RENAVE office, is located within the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces ascribed to Ministry of the Popular Power for Aquatic and Air Transportation, with branches in the different port captaincies throughout the country.

Ships built or under construction of tonnage equal or over 500 gross tonnage will be registered before the RENAVE office located in Caracas (Art. 100 of the Law of Merchant Marine); vessels under 500 gross tonnage will be registered in the particular branch of RENAVE located in respective port captaincy where the ship will be registered (Art. 101 of the Law of Merchant Marine).

Article 132 of the Law of Merchant Marine states that the President of the National Institute of Aquatic Spaces (INEA) shall issue the Temporary Patent of Navigation for ships whose gross tonnage are equal or over 500 gross tonnage. In the case of ships between 150 gross tonnage and 500 gross tonnage, the said Patent shall be issued by the Port Captain where the registry takes place. The owner or charterer will have 60 continues days period to submit the whole documentation required by law. Once the said documentation is submitted and found in order by RENAVE, elapsed 90 days from the day of registry, the President of INEA or the Port Captain as the case might be, shall issue the definitive Patent of Navigation valid for 5 years.

As per Art. 133 of the same legislation, the Patent of Navigation is the document proving the Venezuelan nationality of the ship, authorizing it to sail under Venezuelan flag. This document states the name of the ship and the registry number, the name of the natural person or legal entity in whose favor the ship is registered, the tonnages and the main characteristic of the ship. Article 135 of the Law of Merchant Marine, states that ships of gross tonnage less than 150 gross tonnage registered in RENAVE shall need a Navigation License issued by the Port Captain, valid for 2 years.

According to Art. 104 of the Law of Merchant Marine, when the inscription of a ship in RENAVE is requested, documentation or titles to prove rights on the ship, tonnage certificate if required, technical specifications and the plans of it must be submitted. It has to be also proven that legal requirements and regulations related to construction and safety have been complied with. When the inscription is related to a foreign ship, a document issued by the maritime administration of the country of registry is needed, stating that the ship has been deleted of the said registry or temporarily suspended, or that this will take place the day the new registry takes place. The basic documentation to submit to RENAVE is:

a) The Application made before the maritime administration for inscription of the vessel at the Venezuelan Naval Registry must be submitted through the INEA website;
b) Copy of the articles of incorporation of the company acting as owner/charterer;
c) Presentation of the deletion, suspension of the previous registration or equivalent document; and,
d) Vessel’s document of ownership or bareboat/leasing agreement as the case might be, duly translated into Spanish and ç
e) Plans and technical characteristics of the ships, including former gross tonnage certificate.

Note that ship registration also implies customs tasks related to the ordinary importation or temporal admission (if bareboat charter is chosen) as the case might be.