MANNING
Maltese ships
are subject to the provisions of the Merchant Shipping Act (1973) and
ancillary regulations concerning the competency of officers and seamen.
INTERNATIONAL
CONVENTIONS
Malta has
practically adopted all the major international maritime conventions
including: CLC 69, Tonnage 69, COLREG 72, Fund 71, INMARSAT, Load Lines
66, London Dumping 72, MARPOL 73/78, SOLAS 74/78, and STCW 78.
AUTHORISED
CLASSIFICATION SOCIETIES
Survey,
tonnage and convention certificates may be issued on behalf of the Maltese
Government by the following classifications societies: American Bureau of
Shipping, Bureau Veritas, Det Norske Veritas, Germanischer Lloyd, Hellenic
Registrar of Shipping, Korean Register of Shipping, Lloyd’s Register,
Nippon Kaiji Kyokai, and Registro Italiano Navale.
The following
classification societies have partial recognition to issue survey, tonnage
and convention certificates, which is only applicable in certain
circumstances: China Classification Society, Croatian Register of
Shipping, Polski Rejestr Statkow and Russian Maritima Register of
Shipping.
MORTGAGES
Registration,
transfer and discharge of Mortgages may be effected immediately on
presentation of the relative documents to the Registrar. The 1986, 1988,
and 1990 amendments introduced important safeguards to the mortgagees of
Maltese ships, making financing more attractive.
CLOSURE OF
REGISTRY
The registry
of a Maltese ship may be closed at the request of the owners provided all
liabilities and obligations in respect of the ship towards the State of
Malta have been paid and the consent of all registered mortgagees is
produced.
