New regulations on fees and dues for ocean-going commercial ships

The Shipping Deputy Ministry recently issued the Merchant Shipping (Fees and Dues with respect to Ocean Going Commercial Cyprus Ships) Regulations 2019 (Administrative Act 322/2019), which contain the new fees and charges payable for ocean-going commercial ships registered in Cyprus applicable as of 27 September 2019.

The regulations define 'ocean-going commercial Cyprus ships' as Cyprus ships which carry out their usual activity outside Cyprus's territorial sea for commercial purposes.

As explained in the ministry's Circular 16/2019, the aim of the new regulations is to:

• simplify the relevant fees and dues to respond to current shipping needs; and
• round up the relevant amounts, thus facilitating the payment procedure.

Further, certain fees that were considered obsolete have been abolished.

In particular, the regulations cover fees concerning the registration of ships and other transactions with the shipping registry (eg, ship certificates and applications for the transfer of ownership or name change of a ship). The regulations further set out fees and dues on:

• tonnage measurements for ships, depending on whether they are longer than 24 metres;
• the issuance of certificates to seafarers;
• the endorsement of logbooks;
• the reissuance of civil liability insurance certificates (regarding oil pollution damage, bunker oil pollution, pollution by carriage of hazardous and noxious substances and liability for the death or personal injury of passengers in accordance with the Nairobi Wreck Removal Convention);
• the approval of exemptions or special arrangements; and
• the examination and approval of studies, plans and manuals (eg, the approval of intact or damage stability studies and loading condition studies).

Further, the regulation also set out the dues to be paid for the survey of ships on application by shipowners and the provision of services.

For further information on this topic please contact Costas Stamatiou or Yiota Georgiou at Elias Neocleous & Co LLC by telephone (+357 25 110 110) or email (costas.stamatiou@neo.law or yiota.georgiou@neo.law). The Elias Neocleous & Co LLC website can be accessed at www.neo.law.