Extended Operational and Trade Vocabulary

Ship Registries and Flag States glossary

The flag-state and registry vocabulary: the Administration as the flag government, the national flag administrations (ADOMS for Antigua and Barbuda), AIS type codes, and the open-registry, tonnage, and registration terms. Grounds each term in the flag administration or the registration process it belongs to.

289 defined terms.

Showing 250 on this page (page 1 of 2).

A

ABS: American Bureau of Shipping; IACS member classification society.
Administration: Government of the State whose flag the ship is entitled to fly, per SOLAS and MARPOL definitions.
ADOMS: Antigua and Barbuda Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping, the country's flag administration.
AIS Type Code: Numeric code transmitted by AIS identifying vessel category per ITU-R M.1371.
Albanian Maritime Administration: Flag administration of Albania regulating vessels under Albanian flag.
Algerian Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Algerian Ministry of Transport.
Alternative Compliance Program: US Coast Guard program delegating statutory survey to recognized classification societies for US-flag vessels.
AMP: Alternative Maritime Power, shoreside electrical supply to berthed vessels.
Anchor handling tug supply vessel: Offshore support vessel class used to set moorings for floating tidal, wave, and floating solar platforms.
Annual Survey: Survey required at intervals not exceeding three months either side of each anniversary date of a certificate.
Antigua and Barbuda Registry: Open registry administered by ADOMS, popular with German-managed feeder containerships.
Approved International Shipping Enterprise: Singapore tax incentive scheme under the Maritime Sector Incentive granting tax exemption on qualifying shipping income.
Argentine Naval Prefecture: Prefectura Naval Argentina, the maritime authority maintaining the Argentine ship register.
Asian Shipowners Association: Regional industry body representing shipowners from Asian flag states.
Australian International Shipping Register: Second register established in 2012 to support Australian-flagged international trading vessels.
Australian Shipping Registration Act 1981: Statute governing the Australian General Shipping Register and the Australian International Shipping Register.
Authorized Recognized Organization: Classification society delegated to perform statutory work on behalf of a flag administration under written agreement.

B

Bahamas Maritime Authority: BMA, the flag administration headquartered in Nassau with offices in London, Hong Kong and New York.
Bahamas Ship Registry: Open registry administered by the Bahamas Maritime Authority recognized by major mortgage lenders.
Bangladesh Department of Shipping: Flag administration of Bangladesh, headquartered in Dhaka.
Bareboat charter registration: Temporary registration in a second register while the underlying ownership remains on the primary register, also called BBC-in or BBC-out.
Belgian Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Federal Public Service Mobility and Transport.
Belize Ship Registry: Open registry administered by the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize, IMMARBE.
Bermuda Ship Registry: Crown Dependency register with approximately 10 million GT, favored by cruise lines and large yachts.
Bermuda Shipping and Maritime Authority: BSMA, flag administration for the Bermuda Red Ensign register.
Black List: Categorization of flags or ships with high detention ratios under PSC MoUs.
Black Sea MoU: Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control in the Black Sea Region, signed 2000, secretariat in Istanbul.
Bolivian Ship Registry: Open registry of land-locked Bolivia administered by the General Captaincy of Ports.
Boskalis: Dutch dredging and salvage major, parent of SMIT Salvage since 2010.
Brazilian Special Registry: Registro Especial Brasileiro REB, second register established 1997 for Brazilian-flagged vessels in international trade.
British Virgin Islands Shipping Registry: Category 2 Red Ensign register administered by the BVI Virgin Islands Shipping Registry.
Bulgarian Maritime Administration: Executive agency administering the Bulgarian ship register.
Bureau Veritas: French classification society delegated by some flag States to approve MET programs and issue MLC certificates.
BV: Bureau Veritas, France-headquartered classification society and IACS member founded 1828.

C

Cabotage: National reservation of coastwise trade to vessels of the flag State.
Cambodia Ship Registry: Open registry that was closed in 2002 after international sanctions and concerns over flag misuse.
Cameroon Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Cameroon Ministry of Transport.
Cape Verde Ship Registry: National registry of the Republic of Cabo Verde.
Cargo Capacity: Measure of a vessel's earning space expressed in TEU for containers, cubic meters for LNG, barrels for oil, or tonnes for bulk cargo.
Cargo Ship Safety Construction Certificate: Issued under SOLAS I/12, form C.
Cargo Ship Safety Equipment Certificate: Issued under SOLAS I/12, form E.
Cargo Ship Safety Radio Certificate: Issued under SOLAS I/12, form R.
Caribbean MoU: PSC regime for Caribbean states.
Cayman Islands Shipping Registry: CISR, British Red Ensign register based in George Town.
CCS: Cargo Containment System under the IGC and IGF Codes.
Certificate of Class: Document issued by class confirming the vessel is in class.
Certificate of Registry: Ship's document evidencing flag registration.
CGT: Compensated Gross Tonnage, a weighted measure of shipbuilding output developed by the OECD and applied across yards.
Chile Directemar: Directorate General of the Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine of Chile, the national maritime authority.
China Maritime Safety Administration: Flag administration of the People's Republic of China responsible for the national ship registry.
ClassNK: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, Japanese classification society and IACS member, founded 1899.
Closed Registry: National registry that restricts registration to vessels owned by nationals or domestically controlled companies.
Code for Recognized Organizations: RO Code, mandatory under SOLAS, MARPOL and Load Lines, setting standards for RO authorization and oversight.
Comoros Ship Registry: Open registry of the Union of the Comoros, often cited among questionable open registries.
Compensated Gross Tonnage: Measure converting Gross Tonnage to reflect shipbuilding workload across vessel types.
Cook Islands Ship Registry: Open registry administered by Maritime Cook Islands from Avarua, Rarotonga.
COSCO Shipping: Chinese state-owned shipping group with vessels flagged in Hong Kong and mainland China.
CR Classification Society: Croatian Register of Shipping, IACS member founded 1949.
Croatian Register of Shipping: National classification society and IACS member based in Split.
Crown Dependency Register: British Red Ensign register operated by a Crown Dependency such as the Isle of Man, Jersey, or Guernsey.
Cyprus Ship Registry: EU open registry administered by the Department of Merchant Shipping with about 30 million GT.
Cyprus Tonnage Tax: EU-approved tonnage tax regime with a fifteen-year commitment requirement for shipping companies.

D

Danish International Register of Shipping: Danish second register known as DIS, established by Act No. 408 of 1 July 1988 to retain Danish-flag tonnage in international trade.
Deadweight tonnage: DWT, total weight a vessel can carry.
Demise Charter Registration: Synonym for bareboat charter registration under a second flag.
Department of Merchant Shipping Cyprus: Cypriot authority within the Ministry of Transport administering the Cyprus Ship Registry.
Det Norske Veritas: Norwegian classification society now part of DNV, founded 1864, IACS member.
DG Shipping: Directorate General of Shipping under the Indian Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, headquartered in Mumbai.
DIS: Danish International Ship Register, second register established 1988 permitting mixed-nationality crews.
Document of Compliance: DOC, ISM document for the company.
Dominica Maritime Registry: Open registry administered by the Dominica Maritime Administration in Roseau.
Dutch Ship Registry: Netherlands national ship register administered by the Kadaster and the Inspectie Leefomgeving en Transport.
Dutch Tonnage Tax: EU-approved Netherlands tonnage tax regime applied to qualifying shipping companies.
DWT: Deadweight tonnage; conventional LNG carriers typically 80,000 to 100,000 DWT.

E

Equasis: Free online ship-information database operated by EMSA and partners.
Equatorial Guinea Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation.
Estonian Maritime Administration: Flag administration of Estonia maintaining the national ship register.
EU Flag: Vessel registered with an EU member state flag and eligible for intra-EU cabotage under Regulation (EEC) No 3577/92.
EU Recognized Organization: Classification society recognized at EU level under Regulation (EC) No 391/2009 and Directive 2009/15/EC.
European Maritime Safety Agency: EMSA, EU body supporting maritime safety regulation.
Evergreen Marine: Taiwanese container operator with vessels flagged in Liberia, Panama, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Exemption Certificate: Statutory document showing flag-granted exemption; verified during surveys.

F

Faroe Islands International Ship Register: FAS, second register administered by the Faroese Maritime Authority since 1992.
Fiji Maritime Safety Administration: National flag administration of the Republic of Fiji.
Finnish Transport and Communications Agency: Traficom, the Finnish flag administration maintaining the national ship register.
Flag: Nationality of a ship as evidenced by registration with a state's ship register and the right to fly that state's ensign.
Flag administration: Government body responsible for ship registration, certification and oversight of the national fleet.
Flag of convenience: Flag of a state with open registration policy.
Flag State: State of the ship's nationality, with jurisdiction under UNCLOS Article 94.
Flag State Control: Inspection and enforcement of statutory requirements by the flag administration on its registered vessels.
Flag State Performance Table: Published annually by ICS measuring flag-state performance.
Flag State Safety Investigation Report: Report produced by the flag state under IMO Resolution MSC.255(84) following a very serious marine casualty.
French International Register: RIF, French second register established 2005, administered from Marseille.

G

Gabon Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Gabonese Merchant Marine Administration.
Genuine Link: UNCLOS Article 91 requirement that there be a real connection between a state and the ships it registers.
Georgia Maritime Transport Agency: Flag administration of Georgia, headquartered in Batumi.
German International Ship Register: Second register known as ISR enabling reduced manning costs for German-flagged international trading ships.
Germanischer Lloyd: German classification society merged with DNV in 2013 to form DNV GL, now operating as DNV.
Ghana Maritime Authority: National flag administration of the Republic of Ghana.
Gibraltar Ship Registry: Category 1 Red Ensign register operating as a British Overseas Territory register.
GIS: Geographic Information System, the broader software family from which ENC production systems derive.
Greek Ship Registry: Hellenic national registry administered by the Hellenic Coast Guard and Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy.
Greek Tonnage Tax: Tonnage tax codified in Greek law and protected by Article 107 of the Greek Constitution.
Grey list: Middle category of flag performance under Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU.
Gross Register Tonnage: A volumetric measure of a merchant ship's enclosed space, codified by the Moorsom system in the UK Merchant Shipping Act of 1854.
Gross Tonnage: GT, measure of overall internal volume, determinant of statutory certification thresholds.
GT: Gross Tonnage, vessel volume measure used for port dues.
Guernsey Ship Registry: Crown Dependency register operating within the British Red Ensign group.
Guyana Maritime Administration Department: Flag administration of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

H

Hapag-Lloyd: German container carrier in the Gemini cooperation.
Heavy Displacement: Total weight of a vessel including hull, machinery, cargo, stores, fuel, and ballast.
Hellenic Coast Guard: Greek law enforcement and flag state authority responsible for the national ship registry.
HMM: HMM Co., Korean container line in the Premier Alliance.
Honduras Bureau of Shipping: Open registry of the Republic of Honduras administered by HBS.
Hong Kong Half-Rate Profits Tax: Hong Kong concessionary tax regime for qualifying ship lessors and ship leasing managers.
Hong Kong Marine Department: Flag administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, responsible for the Hong Kong Shipping Register.
Hong Kong Shipping Register: SAR register opened in 1990 with approximately 140 million GT and 2,800 vessels.

I

IACS: International Association of Classification Societies, 12 members.
IBC Code: International Code for the Construction and Equipment of Ships Carrying Dangerous Chemicals in Bulk.
ICTM-69: International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships, adopted 1969 and entered into force 1982.
ILLC: International Convention on Load Lines, 1966, with the 1988 Protocol updating freeboard rules.
IMMARBE: International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize.
IMO Number: Unique seven-digit ship identifier from IHS Markit on behalf of IMO.
IMO Resolution MSC.255(84): Resolution adopting the Casualty Investigation Code.
IMO Type Code: Vessel type classification used in IMO statistics, GISIS, and statutory reporting.
Indian Ocean MoU: PSC regime for the Indian Ocean region.
Indian Register of Shipping: IRS, IACS member headquartered in Mumbai.
Indian Ship Registry: National registry administered by DG Shipping under the Merchant Shipping Act 1958.
Indonesian Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Directorate General of Sea Transportation under the Ministry of Transportation.
Initial Survey: First survey before issuance of a certificate under SOLAS I/7-10.
Intermediate Survey: Class survey between Special Surveys.
International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships 1969: IMO convention introducing the uniform GT and NT system.
International Registries Inc: IRI, US-based administrator of the Marshall Islands Ship Registry, headquartered in Reston, Virginia.
International Ship Security Certificate: ISSC, issued under the ISPS Code.
Iran Ports and Maritime Organization: PMO, the Iranian flag administration responsible for the national ship register.
Iranian Ship Registry: National registry of the Islamic Republic of Iran maintained by the PMO.
IRI: Common abbreviation for International Registries Inc.
Irish Mercantile Marine Office: Flag administration of Ireland for ship registration matters.
Isle of Man Ship Registry: IOMSR, British Red Ensign register based in Douglas.
ISM Code: International Safety Management Code, mandatory under SOLAS IX.
ISPS Code: International Ship and Port Facility Security Code, mandatory under SOLAS XI-2.
Italian International Register: Second register administered by the Italian Coast Guard Comando Generale del Corpo delle Capitanerie di Porto.
Italian Tonnage Tax: EU-approved Italian tonnage tax regime applied to qualifying shipping companies.
ITU MMSI: Maritime Mobile Service Identity issued under ITU Radio Regulations as a unique nine digit number assigned to each maritime radio station.

J

Japan Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, MLIT.
Jersey Ship Registry: Crown Dependency register administered by Ports of Jersey within the British Red Ensign group.
Jones Act: US cabotage law restricting domestic offshore trades to US vessels.

K

Kiribati Ship Registry: National registry of the Republic of Kiribati.
KISR: Korean International Ship Register, second register established 1997 to permit foreign crew on Korean-flagged international trading vessels.
Korean Register: KR, Korean classification society and IACS member, founded 1960.
Korean Ship Registry: Primary national registry of the Republic of Korea, complemented by KISR for international trading vessels.
KR: See Korean Register of Shipping.

L

Lebanese Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Directorate General of Land and Maritime Transport.
Liberia Ship Registry: Second largest open registry with approximately 250 million GT and 5,500 vessels, administered by LISCR.
Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry: Flag-state registry administrator.
Light Displacement Tonnage: Weight of a vessel excluding cargo, fuel, water, stores, passengers, and crew, used as the basis for scrap pricing per LDT.
LISCR: Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry, headquartered in Dulles, Virginia.
Lithuanian Maritime Safety Administration: Flag administration of the Republic of Lithuania.
Lloyd's Register: LR, UK-headquartered classification society and IACS member founded 1760.
Load Line Certificate: Statutory certificate issued under Load Line Convention.
Loaded Displacement: Total weight of a vessel when loaded to her summer load line.
LR: See Lloyd's Register.
Luxembourg Maritime Administration: Commissariat aux Affaires Maritimes, Luxembourg's flag administration for sea-going vessels.

M

Madeira International Shipping Register: MAR, Portuguese second register based in Funchal.
Maersk Line: A.P. Moller-Maersk container line, founding partner of Gemini.
Malta Ship Registry: EU open register administered by Transport Malta with about 9,000 vessels and approximately 115 million GT.
Maltese Tonnage Tax: EU-approved Maltese tonnage tax regime applicable to qualifying shipping organizations.
Manning: Number and qualifications of crew required to operate a ship safely, set by the flag administration.
Manx Ship Registry: Operating name of the Isle of Man Ship Registry within the Department of Infrastructure.
MAR: Common abbreviation for the Madeira International Shipping Register.
Marina: Recreational craft basin.
Marine Department Hong Kong: Department of the HKSAR Government administering the Hong Kong Shipping Register.
Marine Notice: Document issued by a flag administration to convey statutory or operational requirements to its fleet.
Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore: MPA, Singapore's flag administration and port authority, administering the Singapore Registry of Ships.
Maritime Cook Islands: Flag administration for the Cook Islands register.
Maritime Labour Convention 2006: ILO consolidated treaty on seafarer rights and conditions, in force 20 August 2013.
Maritime Sector Incentive: Singapore MSI scheme grouping tax concessions for shipping companies and maritime lessors.
Marshall Islands Ship Registry: Third largest registry with approximately 190 million GT and 5,000 vessels, administered by IRI from Reston, Virginia.
MCA: UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency, responsible for SOSREP intervention.
Mediterranean MoU: PSC regime for the Mediterranean.
Merchant Marine Act of 1920: US statute known as the Jones Act, restricting US domestic coastal trade.
Merchant Shipping Act: General label for national statutes governing ship registration, manning, and safety in many Commonwealth jurisdictions.
Minimum Safe Manning Certificate: Document issued by the flag administration setting the minimum manning level required for safe operation, under SOLAS Regulation V/14.
MMSI: Maritime Mobile Service Identity, 9-digit per ITU-R M.585.
Mongolia Ship Registry: Open registry of land-locked Mongolia administered by the Mongolia Ship Registry Pte Ltd from Singapore.
MSC: Maritime Safety Committee.
MSI: Maritime Strategies International, the London consultancy.

N

National Vessel Documentation Center: NVDC, US Coast Guard office in Falling Waters, West Virginia, responsible for documentation of US-flag commercial vessels.
Net tonnage: Vessel measurement representing earning capacity.
Netherlands Antilles Ship Registry: Former registry succeeded after dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.
New Zealand Ship Register: National registry administered by Maritime New Zealand.
Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency: NIMASA, the Nigerian flag administration.
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai: Japanese classification society known as ClassNK, IACS member founded 1899.
NIS: Norwegian International Ship Register, second register established 1987, administered from Bergen.
NK: Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, ClassNK, IACS member headquartered in Tokyo.
Nor: Notice of readiness to load or discharge.
Norwegian International Ship Register: NIS, second register administered by the Norwegian Maritime Authority.
Norwegian Ordinary Ship Register: NOR, primary Norwegian registry administered by the Norwegian Maritime Authority.
Norwegian Tonnage Tax: Tonnage tax regime applied to qualifying Norwegian-resident shipping companies.
NVDC: National Vessel Documentation Center.
NYK Line: Nippon Yusen Kaisha, Japanese shipping group with vessels under Japan, Singapore, and Marshall Islands flags.

O

OOCL: Orient Overseas Container Line, COSCO Shipping Group brand.
Open registry: Flag state with open access to foreign owners.
Open Registry Vessel: Vessel registered with an open registry such as Panama, Liberia, or the Marshall Islands.
Operational Compliance Certificate: Generic term for statutory operational certificates issued by flag administrations or recognized organizations.

P

Palau International Ship Registry: PISR, open registry of the Republic of Palau administered from Houston, Texas.
Panama Canal Net Tonnage: PCNT, tonnage measure used for tolls on the Panama Canal calculated under the PC/UMS rules.
Panama Canal Universal Measurement System: PC/UMS, formula used by the Panama Canal Authority to assess vessel tonnage for tolls.
Panama Maritime Authority: Autoridad Maritima de Panama, AMP, headquartered in Panama City.
Panama Ship Registry: Largest open registry, the world's oldest open register established in 1916, with about 240 million GT and 8,000 vessels.
Paris MoU: Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, 1982.
Paris MOU Performance List: Annual ranking of flag states under the Paris MOU, divided into White, Grey, and Black lists.
Passenger Ship Safety Certificate: Issued under SOLAS I/12.
PC/UMS: Panama Canal Universal Measurement System.
PCNT: Panama Canal Net Tonnage.
Polish Register of Shipping: PRS, classification society founded 1936 and IACS member.
Port state control: PSC inspection regime.
Portuguese Tonnage Tax: Tonnage tax regime approved by the European Commission for qualifying shipping companies under Portuguese law.
PRS: Polski Rejestr Statkow, Polish Register of Shipping, IACS member.

Q

Qatar Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Qatari Ministry of Transport.

R

REC: Registro Especial de Buques y Empresas Navieras de Canarias, the Spanish Special Register in the Canary Islands.
Recognized organization: RO, delegated to act on behalf of the flag state.
Recognized Organization Agreement: Written agreement between a flag administration and a recognized organization defining delegated functions.
Recognized security organization: RSO under ISPS Code.
Red Ensign Group: Group of UK and British dependent flags coordinating standards.
Registrar of Ships: Officer of a flag administration responsible for entries in the national ship register.
Registro Especial Brasileiro: REB, Brazilian second register.
Renewal Survey: Survey at intervals not exceeding five years.
RIF: Registre International Francais, French International Register.
RINA: Royal Institution of Naval Architects, London, founded 1860.
RIRS: Russian International Register of Ships.
RO: Recognized Organization.
Romanian Naval Authority: Flag administration of Romania for ship registration matters.
RS: Russian Maritime Register of Shipping, IACS member headquartered in St Petersburg.
Russian International Register of Ships: Second register of the Russian Federation established by Federal Law 168-FZ of 20 December 2005.
Russian Maritime Register of Shipping: Russian classification society, IACS member.

S

Safety Investigation Code: Adopted under IMO Resolution MSC.255(84) and entered into force on 1 January 2010.
Safety management certificate: SMC, ISM certificate for the ship.
Saint Kitts and Nevis International Ship Registry: SKAN Registry, open registry of the Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Maritime Administration: SVGMA, the flag administration of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Samoa Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Samoa Shipping Corporation and the Ministry of Works, Transport and Infrastructure.
Saudi Arabian Ship Registry: National registry administered by the Saudi Ports Authority and the General Authority of Transport.
SCNT: Suez Canal Net Tonnage.
Second register: Subsidiary register established by a traditional maritime nation offering tax or crewing concessions, such as NIS, DIS, MAR or RIF.
Shipbuilding Output: Industry measure typically expressed in CGT or GT delivered per yard or country per year.
Sierra Leone Maritime Administration: SLMA, flag administration of Sierra Leone.
Singapore Registry of Ships: SRS, administered by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, among the world's top five flags.
SOLAS: International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974; the IMO treaty setting minimum construction, equipment, and operation standards for merchant ships.
Spanish Ship Registry: Primary Spanish registry administered by the Direccion General de la Marina Mercante.
Spanish Special Register: Registro Especial de Buques y Empresas Navieras de Canarias, REC, the Spanish second register based in the Canary Islands.