Gibraltar

About the Flag

The Gibraltar Ship Registry (GSR) is a member of the Category I Red Ensign Group of the United Kingdom and United Kingdom dependency registers. The Category I Red Ensign Group now comprises the United Kingdom, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, the British Virgin Islands and the Isle of Man. The GSR exists within the Gibraltar Maritime Administration (GMA). The GMA is headed by the Maritime Administrator, appointed by the Minister for Maritime Affairs.

The advantages of registering a ship in Gibraltar are many, not least fiscal: membership of the Red Ensign Group and the benefits that derive from Gibraltar’s status as part of the European Union (EU). The GSR is also an EU Member States’ Register and its vessels are entitled to full EU cabotage privileges.

The Register is open to all types of ships irrespective of size, with the exception of fishing vessels, ships propelled by nuclear power and ships not classed with one of the recognised Classification Societies. Ships that are over twenty years old on the day of registration have additional requirements.

Pleasure yachts are handled by the entirely separate organization Gibraltar Yacht Registry Limited. The administrative and clerical work of the commercial Registry is undertaken in Gibraltar by The Register of Ships which is a government department headed by a Maritime Administrator appointed by the United Kingdom. The Gibraltar Merchant Shipping (Registration) Ordinance 1993 and the Gibraltar Merchant Shipping (Ship Registration) Regulations 1997 govern the Register. Gibraltar is an open registry. The Gibraltar Ship Registry continues to consolidate its position as a significant Red Ensign group registry for commercial vessels.

The clear objective for the Registry as set out by the Government of Gibraltar is quality over quantity and, as a result, long-term stability for the Register and the ships that operate under it have been favored over short term growth. In particular, the Registry is particularly concerned to keep the average age of the vessels on the Register as low as possible and is careful as to what vessels over 20 years it does in fact approve. This view is finding considerable acceptance especially amongst Northern European shipping groups and can only assist Gibraltar registered vessels in particular as to issues of Port State Control for example.

The GSR is internationally recognised as a quality Register by Port State Control (PSC) authorities (the GSR is on the Paris MoU ‘White List’), Banks and international Law firms.

The GSR has experienced significant growth in ship numbers and Gross Tonnage (GT) over the last ten years. This growth has been attributed to a number of factors, particularly the flexibility and professionalism of GSR staff, the support to ship operators by local ship representatives and the straightforward registration processes that are available.