Registration of Ships
Ships intending to fly the Maltese Flag must be registered with the Registry in the Merchant Shipping Directorate of the Transport Malta.
Registration takes place in two stages. The vessel is first “provisionally” registered and is issued with a Provisional Certificate of Registry, in terms of section 19 of the Merchant Shipping Act. This provisional certificate is valid for a period of six months which may be renewed and, upon satisfaction of certain requirements, converts into full term registration.
Bareboat Charter Registration
The Act defines a “bareboat charter” as the contract for the lease or sub-lease of a ship, hereinafter referred to as charter, for a stipulated period of time, by virtue of which the charterer shall acquire full control and complete possession of the ship. This includes the right to appoint her master and crew for the duration of the charter but excluding the right to sell or mortgage the ship.
Minimum Safe Manning Certificates for Maltese Ships
The 1974/78 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS 74/78) makes it mandatory for trading ships of 500 gross tonnage and over to carry, at all times, a valid Minimum Safe Manning (MSM) Certificate issued by the ship’s Flag State.
In the respect it would be in order to note the manning levels normally required by Transport Malta – an application for the minimum safe manning certificate should be filed together with the application for registration.