Article 12 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 12 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثالث: تسجيل السفينة
Article 12 empowers the registration office to issue a temporary registration certificate valid for one or more voyages, or for six months renewable for up to two years.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يصدر مكتب التسجيل شهادة تسجيل مؤقتة للسفينة، تكون صالحة لرحلة واحدة أو أكثر، أو لمدة ستة أشهر قابلة للتجديد لمدة أقصاها سنتان.
This is the official Arabic wording, the only legally binding version. We do not translate the law itself; the explanation below is ours. Official source: Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers
Article 12 explained in plain English
This article deals with the temporary registration certificate that the registration office issues for a ship. It has two forms in terms of validity:
- By voyage: valid for one voyage or several voyages.
- By period: six months, renewable for a maximum of two years.
The practical meaning is that a ship can be given a temporary status that allows it to sail before permanent registration is completed, and that this temporary status has a time ceiling of no more than two years on renewal. The article does not specify the cases in which the temporary certificate is issued or the conditions for its renewal.
The article is part of the registration provisions and is connected to Article 13, which allows a person to whom ownership of a ship outside the Kingdom has passed to obtain a temporary registration certificate.
Note that the article combines two alternative measures of validity: the number of voyages or a period of time. The certificate may be granted for a specific voyage or a specific period, as the registration office issues it.
Anyone who needs to know whether the temporary certificate applies to their ship can consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases.
Practical example
A ship obtained a temporary registration certificate for six months, which was renewed several times. Under the article, the total renewal period may not exceed two years.
Translated from our Arabic explanation with machine assistance. For guidance only; it does not replace advice from a lawyer on your situation.
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Frequently asked questions about Article 12 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
How long is a ship's temporary registration certificate valid?
It is valid for one or more voyages, or for six months renewable for a maximum of two years.
Who issues the temporary registration certificate?
The registration office.
More articles on Registration of Ships and Maritime Units
- Article 7
Article 7 bars a self-propelled ship from sailing under the Kingdom's flag without registration, refers the procedures to the regulations, and exempts specific vessels by length, tonnage and type.
1- لا يجوز لأي سفينة ذاتية الدفع أن تبحر رافعة علم المملكة إلاَّ إذا كانت مسجلة وفقاً لأحكام هذا النظام, وتحدد اللوائح إجراءات التسجيل وشروطه, وإصدار الشهادة. 2
- Article 8
Article 8 regulates ship registration offices approved by the Chairman, the ship register and its entries, the registration record and its publication and announcement at the owner's expense, and registration fees.
1- تسجل السفن في مكاتب التسجيل المعتمدة بقرار من الرئيس في أيٍّ من موانئ المملكة. 2- ينشأ في كل مكتب من مكاتب التسجيل سجل خاص يسمى (سجل السفن)، ترقم صفحاته، وتخ
- Article 9
Article 9 bars a ship from sailing under the flag of more than one state, registering a ship already registered in another state before its deletion, and changing flag while sailing or stopped except for a transfer of ownership or registration change.
1- لا يجوز للسفينة أن تبحر، وهي رافعة علم أكثر من دولة. 2- لا يجوز أن تسجل سفينة في سجل السفن إذا كانت مسجلة في سجل سفن دولة أخرى، ما لم تكن قد شطبت من ذلك السج
- Article 10
Article 10 requires, for a ship to be registered, that the Authority or a delegated approved classification society inspect, survey and measure it and assess its tonnage, after the ownership document is submitted.
يشترط لتسجيل السفينة فحصها ومعاينتها وقياسها وتقدير حمولتها من قبل الهيئة أو من تفوضه من إحدى هيئات التصنيف المحلية أو الدولية المعتمدة بعد تقديم وثيقة ملكيتها.
- Article 11
Article 11 requires every Saudi ship to have a name, written at its bow and stern in clear Arabic and Latin letters with its port of registration, and bars the same name for more than one ship in the Kingdom.
أ- يجب على كل سفينة سعودية أن تتخذ لها اسماً، ويجب أن يكتب اسمها على مقدمتها من الجانبين وعلى مؤخرتها بحروف عربية ولاتينية ظاهرة وبلون مختلف عن لونها، ويجب كذلك
- Article 13
Article 13 allows a Saudi to whom ownership of a ship has passed outside the Kingdom to obtain a temporary registration certificate from a registration office or a Kingdom representative office, valid for six months at most.
إذا انتقلت ملكية السفينة لسعودي خارج المملكة، وانطبقت عليها شروط التسجيل، كان لمالكها الحصول على شهادة تسجيل مؤقتة من أحد مكاتب التسجيل في المملكة أو من ممثلية
The texts are reproduced from the official website of the Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers for reference; where they differ, the officially published Arabic text prevails. This content is not legal advice.