15 August 2019

On 23 May 2019, the Shipping Deputy Ministry, via circular 10/2019, updated its policy regarding the compliance of vessels registered under the Cyprus flag.

In general, vessels of any type or size may be registered in the Register of Cyprus Ships or the Special Book of Parallel Registration, provided that the applicable age and type requirements specified below are satisfied. (1)

The new policy provides for additional requirements, besides those in the Merchant Shipping Registration of Ships, Sales and Mortgages Law (2) for registering ships, and therefore should be read in conjunction with the relevant legal provisions.

Age-related requirements

The entry inspections and the additional inspections specified in the table below are required to be carried out when the age of the ship is equal or greater than the number of years indicated under the related conditions corresponding to the type of the ship.

Type of vessel	Entry inspection required	Additional inspection required
Cargo vessels	Ys, if over 15 years old	No
Passenger vessels engaged in international or short-term international voyages or domestic voyages in the territory of a state other than Cyprus	Yes, if over 20 years old	Yes, if over 20 years old (biennially)
Fishing vessels under 25 years old	Yes	Yes (annually)
Vessels other than those listed above (Pleasure yachts, nonself-propelled craft and other vessels with gross tonnage less than 500 may be excluded from this condition)	Yes, if over 15 years old	No

It should be noted that the term "age" refers to the age of the vessel, which is calculated by deducting the year the vessel's keel-laying from the year of filing an application for its registration in the Register of Cyprus Ships.

In case a vessel has undergone significant modification or reconstruction, the year in which the major conversion or reconstruction began may be taken into account (instead of the year of keel-laying) when calculating the age of the vessel, provided that the vessel, upon completion of the major conversion or reconstruction, complies with all the requirements of the applicable international agreements to which Cyprus is a State Party, as if it was a new vessel whose keel-laying was completed in the year in which the major conversion or reconstruction begun. In such a case, the application for the registration of the vessel should be accompanied by documentation confirming the relevant changes, drawn up by the generally recognized organization which carries out the survey and certification of vessels on behalf of the state under whose flag the vessel sails, or drawn up by the state under whose flag the vessel sails.

All vessels (except for passenger and fishing vessels) whose age exceeds 25 years should comply with the following requirements

• The vessel should undergo an entry inspection prior to the registration of the vessel in the Register of Cyprus Ships.
• The vessel's records, age and detention history should justify such registration.

The entry inspections, and additional inspections where required, are carried out by the surveyors of the Shipping Deputy Ministry, at the expense of the registered owner or registered bareboat charterer.

Normally, the registration in the Register of Cyprus Ships or the Special Book of Parallel Registration of the ships may be allowed provided the requirements related to the type of the vessel described below, are complied with.

Passenger and cargo vessels

If the recruiting of junior seafarers is required, when requested by the Shipping Deputy Ministry, passenger vessels and cargo vessels engaged on international voyages (including short-term international voyages) should engage for sea training cadets who are permanent residents of Cyprus.

Fishing vessels

The applications for the registration of fishing vessels under the Cyprus flag should be accompanied by an official permit from The Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment. Otherwise, such applications will not be considered.

Note:

“Fishing vessel” means a vessel that is employed in fishing operations or for the processing, storage or carriage of fish. In this case, the word "fish" is used as a collective term and includes: molluscs, crustaceans and any aquatic animals that are harvested or undergo any operations (including fish transshipment) ancillary thereto. However, it does not include any ship used for the transport of fish or fish products as part of a general cargo.

Fishing vessels that fall outside the scope of EU directive 97/70 /EU (which established a harmonized safety regime for fishing vessels of 24 meters in length and over) are required:

• to be classified by a recognized organization;
• to comply with the codes, guidelines, recommendations and standards of the International Maritime Organization, of the International Labor Organization, of the Food and Agricultural Organization or of the European Union, which are relevant to the type of vessel;
• to be surveyed and certified to that effect by a recognized organization.

Fishing vessels aged 25 years or more are not accepted for registration in the Register of Cyprus Ships or in the Book of Parallel Registration.

For more information related to the above subject, please contact our office by email or phone: ...

olga@papadimitri.com

+357 96664774 (Viber, WhatsApp, Tg)