Article 18 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 18 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثالث: تسجيل السفينة
The article lists five cases in which a ship's registration is cancelled: loss of the ship, transfer of ownership to a foreigner, capture by the enemy, a court judgment cancelling it, and the owner's request.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يشطب تسجيل السفينة في إحدى الحالات الآتية:
1- إذا هلكت.
2- إذا انتقلت ملكيتها إلى أجنبي.
3- إذا استولى عليها العدو.
4- إذا صدر حكم قضائي بشطب التسجيل.
5- إذا طلب المالك ذلك.
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 18 explained in plain English
This article limits the cases in which a ship's registration is cancelled to five:
- Loss of the ship.
- Transfer of its ownership to a foreigner.
- Capture by the enemy.
- A court judgment cancelling the registration.
- The owner's request.
In practical terms, a ship's registration is cancelled only for one of these reasons. Some occur as a matter of fact, such as loss and capture by the enemy, while others result from a legal act such as transferring ownership to a foreigner, from a court decision, or from the owner's will.
Note that the ownership-transfer case is limited to a transfer to a foreigner; a transfer of ownership from one Saudi to another is not among the cancellation cases listed. Cancellation by court judgment requires that a court judgment to that effect has been issued. As for the owner's request, it rests on the owner's will alone, with no particular reason required by the text.
The article does not set out the procedures for cancellation or its effect on rights registered against the ship.
A person selling their ship to a foreign buyer or wishing to cancel its registration can consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases.
Practical example
A Saudi company sells its ship to a foreign company in Dubai. The ship's registration is cancelled in the Saudi ship register because its ownership has passed to a foreigner.
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 18 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
When is a Saudi ship's registration cancelled?
If it is lost, its ownership passes to a foreigner, the enemy captures it, a court judgment cancels the registration, or the owner requests it.
Can the owner request cancellation of their ship's registration?
Yes. The owner's request is one of the cancellation cases provided for.
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 12
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.
يصدر مكتب التسجيل شهادة تسجيل مؤقتة للسفينة، تكون صالحة لرحلة واحدة أو أكثر، أو لمدة ستة أشهر قابلة للتجديد لمدة أقصاها سنتان.
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.