http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1995/21/section/9/2003-01-18Merchant Shipping Act 1995An Act to consolidate the Merchant Shipping Acts 1894 to 1994 and other enactments relating to merchant shipping.1995-07-19texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2026-04-202003-01-18 Part II Registration General Registration of ships: basic provisions.91A ship is entitled to be registered if—ait is owned, to the prescribed extent, by persons qualified to own British ships; andbsuch other conditions are satisfied as are prescribed under subsection (2)(b) below;(and any application for registration is duly made).2It shall be for registration regulations—ato determine the persons who are qualified to be owners of British ships, or British ships of any class or description, and to prescribe the extent of the ownership required for compliance with subsection (1)(a) above;bto prescribe other requirements designed to secure that, taken in conjunction with the requisite ownership, only ships having a British connection are registered.3The registrar may, nevertheless, if registration regulations so provide, refuse to register or terminate the registration of a ship if, having regard to any relevant requirements of this Act, he considers it would be inappropriate for the ship to be or, as the case may be, to remain registered.4The registrar may, if registration regulations so provide, register a fishing vessel notwithstanding that the requirement of subsection (1)(a) above is not satisfied in relation to a particular owner of a share in the vessel if the vessel otherwise has a British connection.5Where a ship becomes registered at a time when it is already registered under the law of a country other than the United Kingdom, the owner of the ship shall take all reasonable steps to secure the termination of the ship’s registration under the law of that country.6Subsection (5) above does not apply to a ship which becomes registered on a transfer of registration to the register from a relevant British possession.7Any person who contravenes subsection (5) above shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 3 on the standard scale.8In this section “the relevant requirements of this Act” means the requirements of this Act (including requirements falling to be complied with after registration) relating to—athe condition of ships or their equipment so far as relevant to their safety or any risk of pollution; andbthe safety, health and welfare of persons employed or engaged in them.9In this Part references to a ship’s having a British connection are references to compliance with the conditions of entitlement imposed by subsection (1)(a) and (b) above and “declaration of British connection” is to be construed accordingly.