REGISTRATION
Angela Luce of the Jersey Ships registry says of her office, “We do have a relatively fast turnaround of work and give a more personal service generally, as there are two members of staff in the office so you will always know that the registration work is being dealt with in a more personal manner. We have our own Surveyor on hand for any technical advice, and also our Manager Stanley Richard-dit Leschery is always available for other safety or maritime standards guidance.”
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS The British Virgin Islands (BVI) joined the Red Ensign Group in 2014 and thus offers the option to register a private, commercial or merchant vessel under the UK red ensign. Despite geographically being a small group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, the BVI is well known as an offshore financial centre. An active participant at the International Maritime Organization (IMO), all major maritime conventions have been extended to the BVI Government and
VIRGIN ISLANDS’ SHIPPING
REGISTRY BVI Finance is the voice of the British Virgin Islands’ financial services industry; marketing and promoting its products and services, as well as managing and maintaining its excellent reputation as a premier international business and finance centre. BVI Finance maintains a strong relationship with key stakeholders including Government and its many partners locally and internationally, media outlets and investors in emerging and traditional markets. The BVI has the distinct advantage of being a Category 1 Red Ensign jurisdiction which classifies the BVI as 1 of 10 centres worldwide where megayachts and superyachts of up to 3000 gross tonnage, and cargo ships of unlimited tonnage can be registered. For more details Tel: +1 (284) 852 1957 or visit
www.bvifinance.vg
enacted through BVI law. The Virgin Islands Shipping Registry (VISR) has a satellite office in London and a network of surveyors available around the globe which means VISR can attend to any need on a 24 hour basis. This farming out of services to freelance professionals mostly works well but can produce some strange outcomes. Richard Claymore, a captain colleague, is currently supervising the build of a 65 metre yacht for Russian owners. When he contacted the offices of the VISR they referred him to a commercial agency called the ABM Group, where a Mr Mark Dubois rather disloyally offered Captain Claymore the choice of either registering with the BVI or the Cayman Islands. He did concede however, “Pricing for all services is very competitive with a strong BVI advantage cost wise.”
The relatively small size of the BVI superyacht fleet does however, allow for a good working relationship with the owner, manager and captain which leads to a pragmatic approach to resolving any issues that may arise during the life of the yacht.
ISLE OF MAN
It is this same attention to customer care that makes the Isle of Man (IoM) registry stand out. Captains I spoke to while conducting the research for this feature consistently praise the IoM for
their technical expertise, their in-house survey and policy teams who are on hand for advice and consultation all the time. Captains praise the network of surveyors in key global locations, their pragmatic approach to regulation that is coupled with a focus on solutions. Other praise was given to the registry’s rapid, on-line process for STCW endorsements and other crew documentation. Of all the registries this is the only one that did not receive a single negative comment in my small circle of survey respondents.
Cameron Mitchell, the Director of the Isle of Man Ship Registry (IOMSR ), told Captain Richard Claymore his registry has invested heavily in systems and people using a database designed specifically for them. “It is,” he said, “Far ahead of other REG Category 1 members such as Cayman and the UK on our digital journey.” He added, “We now produce all yacht and seafarer certification in a digital format with electronic signatures. This means that certification can be with the yacht or seafarer within minutes. We are the only REG member which can offer this service to date. This makes the life of the Master much easier.”
Because the registry is a division of the IOM Government it is a not for profit division of Government and as such this allows them to set fees at rates which are highly
THE RELATIVELY SMALL SIZE OF THE BVI SUPERYACHT FLEET ALLOW FOR A GOOD WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH THE OWNER, MANAGER AND CAPTAIN
ONBOARD | AUTUMN 2020 | 65
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