Singapore Ship Registration

Ship Owners

Only the following persons may be registered as owners of Singapore registered ships:

1. Singapore citizens or Singapore permanent residents
2. Companies incorporated in Singapore, including foreign or local enterprises.
   • A foreign company is defined as a company incorporated in Singapore in which a non-Singaporean citizen owns more than 50% interest.
   • A local company is defined as a company incorporated in Singapore in which more than 50% interest is held by a Singapore citizen or other local company.

All ships of a foreign-owned company may be registered in Singapore if they meet the following conditions.

• The company must have a registered capital of at least S$50,000
• The vessel must be at least 1,600 gross tonnages and be self-propelled
• Notwithstanding the existence of a minimum registered capital requirement, the Registrar may, at his or her discretion, waive the requirement if the company and/or related business is registered, has applied for registration, or has notified the Registrar that it will apply for registration, and the ship meets the tonnage criteria of the flag conversion concessions
• If the ship is operating in Singapore, the Registrar has the discretion to waive the gross tonnage requirement on a case-by-case basis. The shipowner must apply to the Registrar for the exemption.
• All ships of a local company can be registered in Singapore if the local company meets the minimum requirements for registered capital.

For Singapore local companies and their holding companies owning tugs and barges, the registered capital will be limited to 10% of the value of the tugs or barges first registered or S$50,000, whichever is lower, but not less than S$10,000.

Ships

Generally, ships less than 17 years old will be accepted for registration.

Application procedures for provisional registration of a ship in Singapore.

Ships may be registered on a provisional basis.

The provisional certificate is valid for a maximum of one year and may not be renewed.

Before the expiry of the period, the ship must be transferred to a permanent registry. This becomes effective upon submission of all documents required for the permanent registry.

No fees are payable.

The documents to be submitted for provisional registration are:

• A completed application form
• Company’s business profile
• When the owner is an individual, the declaration section of the application form will be signed by him or his appointed agent.
• When the owner is a body corporate, the form may be signed by the director or secretary of the body corporate.

The declaration must be dated on or after the date of acquisition of legal title to the ship.

The declaration must be made before the Director of Marine, a surveyor, an impartial officer, a commissioner for oaths, or any other person entitled to receive declarations under the current law in Singapore.

If the application is for a forward certificate of registration, the completed application form, except for the signature of the applicant, must be submitted at least three working days before the certificate is to be obtained. The applicant must be present on the date of registration to certify that all signatures and the date of application are correct.

Business Profile

The business profile should contain information for submission to ACRA.

Where the shipowner is a company incorporated in Singapore, one of the following documents must be submitted with the application form: a computer printout of the company’s status issued by ACRA’s Real-Time Information Service, and a certificate of computerized documentation qualification. The computer printout must be up-to-date or within 3 months before the date of registration of the ship. (Shipowners may apply to the counter of the classification society to obtain a printed copy of the business profile statement for registration. The application must be made at least 3 working days before the date of registration of the ship. (The Business Profile printing fee is S$5.35, inclusive of GST).

The following copies should be approved in the operational profile

• Certificate of Incorporation
• Annual return or filing containing details of directors, managers, and secretaries (latest annual return or Form 49). The annual return/filing can be downloaded from www.bizfile.gov.sg (under iShop@ACRA)
• Return of Share Allotment (latest annual return or Form 24) Annual Return/Filing can be downloaded at www.bizfile.gov.sg (under iShop@ACRA)
• Shipowners must notify the Registrar of Ships of any change in the ship’s particulars within 30 days of the date on which the change occurs. The appropriate supporting documentation must be submitted with all such notifications
• Where the owner of the ship is a company, information on the owner of the direct or indirect interest must be submitted, but only to the extent necessary to establish the domestic or foreign ownership of the ship. Such information will be kept strictly confidential except for the name and address of the company.

Appoint an Agent

An agent may be appointed to sign a declaration on the provisional application form. When appointing an agent, the owner of the vessel must complete the appointment of agent form.

• When the owner is an individual, the owner may appoint an agent. The owner must sign the appointment form in the presence of witnesses.
• Where the owner is a company and the application form for provisional registration is not signed by a director or secretary of the company, he must appoint an agent to sign the form. The proxy must be stamped with the company’s official seal to be valid.

Appointment of Ship Managers

The ship manager is responsible for the operation of the ship and in particular for all matters relating to crew, safety, and pollution prevention. All communications relating to the ship will be forwarded directly to the ship’s manager.

Upon appointment of the ship’s manager, the shipowner must fill in the ship’s manager appointment form.

For every Singapore ship, the shipowner must appoint a citizen who is legally resident in Singapore as the ship’s manager

• Where the owner is an individual, the owner may appoint himself as the Managing Manager.
• Where the shipowner is a company, the shipowner may appoint an employee of the company to be the managing manager.
• When the appointed ship manager is a company, the name of the highest person in charge of the ship in the company and his position in the company must be clearly stated.

In the event of a change in the ship’s manager, the owner must complete a new form and submit it to the Registrar of Vessels within seven days of the date on which the change occurred.

Proof of Ownership

The following proof of ownership is required.

• In the case of a new vessel, a photocopy of the certificate of construction.
• In the case of an existing vessel, a copy of the deed of sale or its previous registration, or other similar document evidencing ownership.