Article 8 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
المادة 8 من النظام البحري التجاري · الفصل الثالث: تسجيل السفينة
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.
Official text (Arabic)
This article has not been amended since the law was issued.
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، وتختم بخاتم الهيئة، وتخصص لكل سفينة صفحة يدون فيها رقم تسجيل السفينة وجميع البيانات الخاصة بها.
3- يحرر محضر في مكتب التسجيل يدون فيه ملخص البيانات الخاصة بالسفينة، وينشر في صحيفتين يوميتين من الصحف المحلية على حساب مالك السفينة، ويعلن عنه في لوحة الإعلانات في مكتب التسجيل وموقع الهيئة الإلكتروني.
4- يكون مقدار رسوم تسجيل السفن وفقاً لما نص عليه نظام رسوم تسجيل السفن والوحدات العائمة.
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 8 explained in plain English
This article sets out where and how ships are registered:
- Registration offices: ships are registered in registration offices approved by a decision of the Chairman in any of the Kingdom's ports.
- The ship register: a special register called the "ship register" is established in each office. Its pages are numbered and stamped with the Authority's seal, and a page is allocated to each ship on which its registration number and all its particulars are entered. Under Article 1, the Authority is the Public Transport Authority.
- The record and announcement: a record summarizing the ship's particulars is drawn up at the registration office and published in two local daily newspapers at the ship owner's expense, and announced on the office's notice board and on the Authority's website.
- Fees: their amount is as set by the ship and floating unit registration fees regulation.
The practical meaning for the ship owner is that registration is not merely an internal procedure but is accompanied by publication and announcement that make the ship's particulars public, and that the owner bears the cost of publication in the two newspapers, in addition to the registration fees set in their own regulation. The article does not state the amount of the fees.
This article is part of the registration provisions, alongside Article 7, which requires a self-propelled ship to be registered in order to fly the Kingdom's flag, and Article 9, which bars registering a ship registered in another state unless it has been deleted. Anyone registering a ship can consult a lawyer specializing in commercial cases.
Practical example
A company in Yanbu bought a supply ship and registered it at the approved registration office in the port. A record summarizing its particulars is drawn up, the company bears the cost of publishing it in two local daily newspapers, and it is announced on the office's notice board and the Authority's website.
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 8 of the Saudi Commercial Maritime Law
Where are ships registered in Saudi Arabia?
In registration offices approved by a decision of the Chairman in any of the Kingdom's ports.
Who bears the cost of publishing a ship's registration?
The registration record is published in two local daily newspapers at the ship owner's expense.
What are the ship registration fees?
As set by the ship and floating unit registration fees regulation.
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 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.
- 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.