Registration of Pleasure Craft

The MPA service counter at mTower, Level 21 will be closed until further notice. There will be no changes to our operating hours i.e. Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.30pm. All submission and collection of Registry-related documents will continue to be carried out by post, designated drop-off box and multi-trays. For more information, please send your registration application or query to marine@mpa.gov.sg.  

Purpose of the Register

Pleasure craft registered with the Singapore Registry is to be used exclusively by the owner, or guest of the owner, for sport or pleasure purposes only, and may not be deployed for commercial purposes or reward. If the craft is solely operating within Singapore waters, SZ-licensed suffice. A flag registry is not required.

New Requirements with Effect from 1 July 2020 

A new set of regulations, Merchant Shipping (Pleasure Craft) Regulations 2020, will come into effect 1 July 2020 which stipulates the requirements for registration of pleasure craft. This requirement only affects the Singapore-registered pleasure craft. The enhancements include expansion of registration conditions and implementation of safety requirements. These will be enforced under the  new regulations. To provide an overview of the key requirements under the new regulations, you may refer to:

Eligibility for Registration

Singapore-registered pleasure craft can be owned by a person who is ordinarily resident in Singapore or a Singapore business entity (whether for profit or not)  such as a body  corporate, a firm, partnership or associations.

New Conditions of Registration

With effect from 1 July 2020, the pleasure craft must comply with the new conditions of registration. Pleasure craft that do not meet the criteria in particular length and construction material will not be renewed or renewed but with conditions.

  1. The pleasure craft must be at least 7 metres in load line length with an enclosed deck;

  2. The pleasure craft must not be more than 17 years old at the point of registration;

  3. The pleasure craft must not be constructed of wooden hulls;

  4. The pleasure craft must not be used as a passenger ship (i.e. the craft cannot carry more than 12 passengers); and

  5. The pleasure craft must not be constructed of inflatable design (including an inflatable craft with a rigid board

Name of Pleasure Craft

Craft bearing undesirable names which are likely to cause confusion in an emergency will not be registered. The owner must be prepared to change the craft's name should there be an existing one in the Register. No two craft should bear the same name.

Registration and Renewal

New Registrations: If your craft meets the above conditions, please submit the following documents (if available) for our assessment for new registrations, change of ownership or re-flag application:

  • Application form (as attached);

  • Full coloured photographs displaying the name of craft and its enclosed deck;

  • Owner(s)’ identification documents and proof of residence


    • For Singapore individual, to produce NRIC. For foreigners who are ordinarily residing in Singapore, to produce passport/ work permit/ S Pass as well as official documents that provides proof of address (such as utility bills or bank/credit card statements issued to the applicant’s name)

    • For Business entities, to submit Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) Business Profile 

  • Proof of ownership of craft (Bill of Sale, Builder’s Certificate, Proof of Receipt);

  • Policy of insurance held by the owner of the pleasure craft with respect to the use or navigation of the pleasure craft;

  • Evidence of closure of foreign registry from former flag registry, such as Deletion Certificate or transcript showing closure of flag registry (where applicable);

  • Document setting out the carrying capacity, gross tonnage and specifications of the craft;

  • Survey report by accredited organisations; and
  • Any other particulars and documents that the Registrar requires for the registration of the pleasure craft.

Renewal: Please submit the application form, valid insurance certificate, as well as the registration documents above, if any of the documents above have not been previously submitted.

Period of Registration

The registration is valid for a period of up to one year and will expire on the day before the anniversary date of the completion of the relevant survey. Please see example below:

Craft is SZ-licensed + SG-registered craft; Initial Registration: 15 July 2020

Initial Survey: 5 July 2020 (valid for 3 years); COR validity: 15 July 2020 to 4 July 2021. 

Renewal Year

Validity of the Registration

2020

15 July 2020 – 4 July 2021 ^

2021

5 July 2021 – 4 July 2022

2022

5July 2022 – 4 Jul 2023

 2023*

5July 2023 – 4 Jul 2024

 ^Date adjusted to re-align with the inspection date 

  • Assuming the initial inspection was carried out on 5 Jul 2020, the craft has to undergo a renewal survey within 3 months window period from 5 Jul 2023 (expiry of initial survey), i.e. 4 Apr – 4 Jul 2023. 

  • If the subsequent renewal survey is carried out on 1 Jun 2023 (during window period), there will be no change in the COR anniversary date. If carried out outside of window period, there will be a shift in the COR anniversary to align with the anniversary date of the latest survey report.


  • If the survey is carried out after the expiry date of the COR, the registry of the craft will be closed. Should the owner wish to maintain the craft registry with us, the craft need to be registered again and comply with new registration requirements. New registration fees will be applicable, i.e. $200.

Registration Fees

The fee for initial registration and change of ownership is S$200. The fee for subsequent annual renewal is S$50. Owners are not liable for the payment of annual tonnage tax. 

Change of Ownership or Craft Particulars

The registered owner must notify the Registrar in writing, not later than 30 days after the change and produce the Certificate of Registry to him. If there is a change in ownership, the new owner must meet the eligibility requirement and submit the completed application form. 

Obligations

The owner shall ensure that within one month from the date of registration, the pleasure craft is properly marked as follows:

  • The name of the craft is clearly painted on or affixed to the bow and stern of the craft.

  • The word "SINGAPORE" is clearly painted on or affixed to the stern immediately below the name of the craft.

  • The markings must be effectively maintained and renewed when necessary during the period of registry.

All Singapore-registered pleasure craft shall hoist the national colours of Singapore known as the Red Ensign at the stern of craft. The symbol is that of a circle enclosing a crescent surmounted by five stars in a circle, all in white. The ratio of the width to the length of the ensign is one to two. The colours, crescent and stars are from the Singapore flag.  

Survey as part of Safety Requirements

All Singapore-registered pleasure craft must be surveyed once every 3 years according to the safety equipment requirements. The full sets of requirements are extracted in the Second and Third Schedule of the Merchant Shipping (Pleasure Craft) Regulations. The information is also available in Annex A of Shipping Circular No 7 of 2020. Valid survey report to be submitted for the registration and renewal applications.

Who to Conduct Survey

Surveys of Singapore-registered pleasure craft must be conducted by recognised surveyors employed by accredited organisations (AOs).

  • Eelat Pte Ltd

    • Contact Mr Jeya (Tel: +65 6265 6365)

    • Email: sales@eelat.com

The requirements to be an accredited organisation to survey Singapore-registered pleasure craft in accordance with Merchant Shipping (Pleasure Craft) Regulations 2020 are as follows:

  • ACRA of company

  • Professional indemnity insurance (coverage of more than S$50,000)

  • Name & NRIC (or passport/pass holder) of the surveyor (s) employed by your company

  • The surveyor (s) employed by your company holding the below qualification:

    • Class 1 Certificate of Competency (Deck or Engine Foreign-going)   or
    • Qualification from an Institution recognised in a maritime related field with specialised training (e.g Naval Architects)

  • Overseas Presence / Remote survey capabilities (new requirement for next review of AOs)

The surveyors from AOs will be required to undergo a Train-the-trainer programme conducted by MPA surveyors before the Letter of Agreement will be issued to the AOs. SRS Pleasure Craft Survey Checklist will be used in the survey by the AOs. 

Reporting of Incidents

The owner, master or the person-in-charge of a Singapore-registered pleasure craft must report to the Director of Marine immediately or, at the latest, within 2 hours of any of the following occurrences: 

  • Breaking-up, damage or loss of the craft;

  • Collision, accident, or other incident causing the breaking-up, damage or loss of the craft;

  • Accident, damage, pollution, injury or loss of life which the craft has caused or which occurs on board the craft from any other cause. 

The initial reporting can be sent via email to shipping@mpa.gov.sg or verbally over the phone via the SRS Hotline at +65 6225 5777 (6-CALL-SRS). A full report must be subsequently made to the Director of Marine, MPA, within 24 hours of the event. Please refer to Shipping Circular 08 of 2023 on Reporting of Incidents Involving Singapore-registered Ships, and submit the report to shipping@mpa.gov.sg. 

Closure of Registry

The registered owner must notify the Registrar in writing and surrender the Certificate of Registry. 

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information on the new requirements for the Singapore-registered pleasure craft, please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) found in  Annex B of Shipping Circular No 7 of 2020.

Contact

Singapore Registry of Ships
Shipping Division
460 Alexandra Road, mTower  
#21-00 Singapore 119963
Tel: 1800 272 7777 / +65 6272 7777 (if calling from overseas) [select option 1]
Email:  marine@mpa.gov.sg

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