| How to get Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA) License
The Law that governs merchant shipping in Nigeria is the
Merchant Shipping Act of 2007 Nigeria enacted by the National
Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The office for
registration is the Nigerian Ship Registration Office, Nigerian
Maritime Administration and Safety Agency(NIMASA), which was
established by Section 28(2) of the Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency Act 2007.
In Nigeria, a ship cannot operate commercially in or from the
waters of Nigeria unless the ship is a Registered Nigerian Ship,
registered by law of another country and is by the law of that
country exempted from registering in Nigeria; or unless the ship
is a licensed Nigerian ship operating solely within the waters
of Nigeria and where the ship is exempted from registration.
The Merchant Shipping Act provides that to be eligible to
register a Nigerian Ship in Nigeria the applicant must be;
A Nigerian Citizen;
Joint owners not exceeding five persons
Bodies corporate established under and subject to Nigerian Laws,
having their place of business in Nigeria
Such other persons as the Minister of Transport may prescribe
For registration, the Act provides that there shall be a Central
Ship Registry for the registration and licensing of Ships in
Nigeria.
Procedure and requirements for Registration
An application for the registration must be made formally in
writing to the Registrar at a port of Registry in Nigeria
subject to the approval of the Minister. The form for
registration is available on the NIMASA’s website.
The owner of the ship or agent will submit a formal
letter of application attaching the following documents;
A completed NIMASA application form
A completed NIMASA approval of name of ship form
Copy of Certificate of Incorporation
Evidence of registration as a shipping company with NIMASA
CTC of Memorandum and Article of Association
CTC of Form CAC 7 and CAC 2(Particulars of Directors and
Allotment of Share capital). The share capital of the company
must not be less than Twenty-Five Million Naira. (N25 Million)
Company’s current tax clearance certificate
Company’s bank statement or reference letter
A declaration of NIMASA ownership form to be issued by the Ship
Registry.
The applicant is to make an application for survey and issuance
of Certificate of Tonnage measurement to facilitate the flag
survey of the ship.
The applicant is also expected to provide details of its
particulars when registering a Ship. These details should
include the following;
Full names, address and occupational operation of the applicant
Evidence of ability to operate and maintain a ship
The logbook of the ship will also be provided for inspection by
the Registrar of Ships.
Evidence of sufficient financial resources for the operation and
maintenance of the ship.
Furthermore, the particulars of the ship must be provided for
registration and the information to be provided for is as
follows:
The name of the ship, time, place of purchase and Master of the
Ship
Particulars in respect of tonnage, build and description of the
ship
Bill of sale or Builders Certificate, that is the evidence of
title
Certificate of the approved plan issued by NIMASA for a newly
built vessel in Nigeria alone
Callsign certificate
Load line Certificate
Report of pre-survey purchase
Condition survey report and tonnage measurement certificate as
approved by the Minister
Certificate of Carving and marking note of the Ship. The ship
for registration must be marked permanently and conspicuously to
the satisfaction of the Minister. Inspections will be carried
out on ship markings at the cost to the ship’s owner.
Payment of Registration Fee
Evidence of insurance coverage of the ship
It is important to mention that, the Registry can refuse the
Registration of a Ship submitted by the Applicant and the
grounds upon such refusal may include the followings:
The application will be refused where the applicant fails to get
the ship surveyed and have its tonnage ascertained.
It can be refused where the applicant fails to deliver all the
documents stated above for registration
The application can be fused where it fails to meet the
requirements as stipulated by the Merchant Shipping Act
Where the name proposed to be registered exists, the registry
will refuse the registration and also where the registration
will offend public interest.
A company shall not be registered as an owner of a ship until a
declaration is made on behalf of the corporation and signs a
declaration of ownership referring to the ship as described in
the surveyor’s tonnage certificate.
The Registrar upon the submission and compliance of the
requirement shall enter into the register the name of the ship,
particulars of the origin of the ship, name of builders and date
the ship was built, particulars of ship operator, particulars of
any mortgage, lien regarding the ship.
The Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA)
places tariff charged for registration of a ship, and such
tariff often subject to review and approval
Cost for the Registration of Ship in Nigeria
The official cost for the registration of ship on the initial
registry in Nigeria is on items based on gross tonnage of
Vessel, which is as follows:
For a ship that has 200 tons, the charge is N120, 000.00 (One
Twenty Thousand Naira);
To register for a Ship that weighs over 200 tons to 1000 tons,
the charge N160,000.00 (One Hundred and Sixty Thousand Naira
Only)
For the registration of a ship with a gross tonnage over 1000
tons, the charge to be paid is N160,000.00 and additional
N160,000.00/1000 Tons
Cancellation of Registration
Under the Merchant Shipping Act 2007, the Registrar shall cancel
the registration of a ship registered in Nigeria at any time the
ship appears to be registered also in a foreign country; where
the applicant ceases to comply with the requirements for
qualification to own a ship under the Act and lastly where the
ship appears to be broken, lost or abandoned.
The shipowner can also apply to cancel the registration of the
ship but this cancellation must be supported with the following
documents;
A board resolution authorizing the cancellation
Return of certificate of registration
Evidence of payment of official fees for issuance of a
certificate of cancellation.
Renewal of Certificate of Registration
The registration of a ship is valid for five years, after which
the ship-owner can apply for renewal of the vessel registration
and the charges to be paid shall be half of the initial
registration cost.
The application for renewal is supported by the following
documents:
A formal letter of application by the applicant or authorized
agents
Copy of the Certificate of Incorporation
CTC of Memorandum and Article of Association
CTC of Form CAC 7 (Particulars of Directors) and CAC 2
(Allotment of Shares)
Current Tax Clearance Certificate
Competed declaration of ownership form with the passport
photograph attached
Bank statement/Reference
Return of expired certificate of registration
Condition survey report
Annual survey report of the preceding 3 years
NIMASA Official Receipt for payment of registration
Eligible ships For Registration
The ships that are eligible for registration in Nigeria are:
Fishing vessels,
Floating production storage,
Merchant ships,
Ships licensed weighing under 15 gross tons,
Ships licensed to operate in coastal and inland waters of
Nigeria
Ships under construction
Any ships owned by Nigerians citizens or Nigerian registered
bodies corporate
However, it is important to know that in line with International
Maritime Organization guidelines, only the double hull vessels
can be registered with the NIMASA.
The ship registration in Nigeria is primarily handled by the
NIMASA. However, the ships operating in Nigeria water territory
may still be subjected to additional requirements by other
maritime regulatory authorities in Nigeria such as the Nigeria
Customs Service, Nigerian Navy among a few others. The documents listed above together with the requisite fees must be provided for the certificate of registration of a ship to be issued by the NIMASA.
Fill our application form:
https://forms.gle/
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