New shipping registration regulations

This year there was adopted the order of Ministry of Transport “About
approval of ship registration regulations and entitlement on ships in
merchant seaports”. These regulations came into force at 18.08.06. The
necessity of adoption of the regulations was caused by Russian
international ship registry occurrence.

New regulations determine the procedure of registration, including the
terms of registration. Principal provisions didn’t change:

• Registration of ships and entitlements on them are carried out by
  recording system about vessel and entitlements on it in State Ship
  Registry of Russian Federation, Russian International Ship Registry and
  Registry of building ships. The foreign vessel, chartered by Russian
  charterer on bareboat charter, can be registered in Bareboat Registry or
  Russian International Ship Registry;
• The regulations, as
  before, contain the list of seaports which are entitled to register
  vessels in Russian International Ship Registry and the list of ports in
  which vessels are registered in other registers;
• Registration
  is carried out in one of the merchant seaports at the option of vessel’s
  owner or charterer, registration of ownership of building ship is
  carried out in seaport nearest to shipbuilding organization;
• Vessel,
  registered in foreign registry can be registered in Russian registry
  after submission of Certificate of Deletion from foreign registry;
• Vessels, ownership on them, other real rights on them and encumbrances are to be registered;
• Harbour master is the registration agency;
• Ship registries have open character.

The list of ship registries was added by Russian International Ship
Registry (Part V of The Regulations). The regulations set the following
rules for new registry:

1. The requirements for vessels to be registered in RISR: Russian
   vessels or foreign vessels chartered by Russian charterers on bareboat
   charter, which used for international carriage of cargoes, passengers
   and their luggage, and for rendering of other services related to
   international carriage;
2. Additional documents for registration: document of state tax payment for initial registration;
3. Registration are to be annually confirmed;
4. Regulations set additional reasons for deletion from RISR.

All competence previously referred to Ministry of Transport (decision
about reflagging of vessel, granting a right of to foreign vessel to fly
the flag of Russian Federation, organization of ship registration,
control over harbormaster registration activity) was transferred to
Federal Agency for Transport Supervision.

Part VIII of Regulations relating to breach of registration order was suppressed.

The Regulations contain lists of ports, where vessels can be registered,
forms of relevant certificates and other necessary documents. The list
of certificates was added by new form “Certificate of registration of
ship mortgage”.