The Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Regulations 1993

Regulations 32, 34, 54 and 80

SCHEDULE 3 CARVING AND MARKING

1.  Every ship is required, before it may be registered, to be marked permanently and conspicuously to the satisfaction of the Registrar in accordance with this Schedule.

2.  The Secretary of State may exempt any class of ship from all or any of the requirements of this Schedule, subject to such conditions, if any, as he thinks fit.

3.  Subject to any exemption in respect of that class of ship, a ship other than:—

(a) a fishing vessel,

(b) a pleasure vessel which is under 24 metres,

is to be marked as follows:

(i) its name shall be marked on each of its bows, and its name and its port of choice must be marked on its stern;

(ii) the marking is to be on a dark ground in white or yellow letters, or on a light ground in black letters, the letters being not less than 10 centimetres high and of proportional breadth; and

(iii) its official number and the number denoting its registered tonnage shall be cut on its main beam or if that is not possible, marked or fixed thereon in the manner prescribed in paragraph 4(a) below.

4.  A pleasure vessel which is under 24 metres in length is to be marked as follows:—

(a) the official number and registered tonnage are:—

(i) to be marked on the main beam or, if there is no main beam, on a readily accessible visible permanent part of the structure of the pleasure vessel either by cutting in, centre punching or raised lettering, or

(ii) to be engraved on plates of metal, wood or plastic, secured to the main beam (or, if there is no main beam, to a readily accessible visible permanent part of the structure) with rivets, through bolts with the ends clenched), or screws with the slots removed;

(b) the name and port of choice (unless an exempted ship), are to be marked on a conspicuous and permanent part of the stern on a dark ground in white or yellow letters, or on a light ground in black letters, the letters being not less than 5 centimetres high and of proportionate breadth, or, where this is not possible by the alternative methods given below:—

(i) by engraving on plates of metal or of plastic or by cutting in on a shaped wooden chock.Where a shaped wooden chock is used it should be secured to the hull through bolts, the ends being clenched, or

(ii) by individual glass reinforced plastic letters and numbers approximately 2mm in thickness.These to be fixed to the hull with epoxy adhesive, and painted with suitable paint and coated with translucent epoxy resin;

(iii) where metal or plastic plates have been used these must be fixed by the use of epoxy adhesives.Metal or plastic plates secured by adhesives should be coated with translucent epoxy resin after they have been fixed in position.

5.  A fishing vessel is to be marked as follows:—

(a) The name of the vessel and the port of choice shall be painted in white on a black background or in black on a white background outside the stern of the boat in letters which shall not be less than 8 centimetres in height and 1.5 centimetres in breadth, and

(b) the port letters and the number of the vessel shall be painted or displayed on both sides of the bow and on each quarter, as high above the water as possible so as to be clearly visible from the sea and the air, in white on a black background or black on a white background;

(c) for vessels not over 17 metres in length, the height of the port letters and number shall be at least 25 centimetres with a line thickness of at least 4 centimetres;

(d) for vessels over 17 metres in length, the height of the letters and numbers shall be at least 45 centimetres with a line thickness of at least 6 centimetres;

(e) the port letters and numbers shall in addition be painted or displayed on the wheel house top or some other prominent horizontal surface;

(f) the vessel’s official number shall be carved into the main beam of the vessel or, if that is not possible, marked or fixed thereon in the manner prescribed in paragraph 4(a) above.

6.  A scale of decimetres, or metres and decimetres, denoting a draught of water shall be marked on a ship, other than an exempted ship, on each side of its stem and its stern post, as follows:—

(a) in figures in two-decimetre intervals, if the scale is in decimetres; and

(b) in figures at each metre interval and at intervening two-decimetre intervals, if the scale is in metres and decimetres;

the capital letter ‘M’ being placed after each metre figure; the top figure of the scale showing both the metre and (except where it marks a full metre interval) the decimetre figure; the lower line of the figures, or figures and letters (as the case may be), coinciding with the draught line denoted thereby; the figures and letters being not less than one decimetre in length and being marked by being cut in and painted white or yellow on a dark ground, or in such other way as the Secretary of State approves.

7.  The name of a ship shall be marked in Roman letters and any numerals shall be in Roman or European numerals.