Article 28 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 28 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الخامس: قيد الوحدات البحرية المعفاة من التسجيل
The article sets three cases for cancelling the entry of a marine unit: its loss, transfer of its ownership to a foreigner, and a court judgment cancelling the entry.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
يشطب قيد الوحدة البحرية في إحدى الحالات الآتية:
1- إذا هلكت.
2- إذا انتقلت ملكيتها إلى أجنبي.
3- إذا صدر حكم قضائي بشطب القيد.
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 28 explained in plain English
This article limits the cases for cancelling the entry of a marine unit, meaning units exempt from registration and subject to entry, to three:
- If the unit is lost.
- If its ownership passes to a foreigner.
- If a court judgment cancelling the entry is issued.
In practical terms, the entry of a boat or marine unit is cancelled only in one of these cases. Note that the article does not list "the owner's request" among the cancellation cases; there are only three cases according to its text.
The case of transfer of ownership to a foreigner is linked to Article 27, which does not permit a non-Saudi to own marine units exempt from registration, except pleasure boats, which foreigners may own under conditions set by the regulations. Article 28 does not explain how to reconcile cancelling the entry upon transfer of ownership to a foreigner with foreigners being allowed to own pleasure boats.
The article does not specify the authority that cancels the entry or its procedures. A person who sells their boat or has lost it can consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases to learn the appropriate procedure.
Practical example
A fishing boat entered at the Jazan registration office sinks and is totally lost. The loss of the unit is one of the cases for cancelling its entry provided for in the article.
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 28 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
When is the entry of a boat or marine unit cancelled?
If it is lost, if its ownership passes to a foreigner, or if a court judgment cancelling the entry is issued.
Can the owner request cancellation of their boat's entry?
The article does not list the owner's request among the cases for cancelling an entry; there are only three cases.
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.