The Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 amend the 2020 regulations to implement aspects of the 1974 International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea.
Key changes include altering requirements for navigational equipment on various ship types to align with international standards.
Specific exemptions were granted to certain classes of ships, and the fee schedule was updated accordingly.
The regulations improve safety at sea by harmonizing UK legislation with international requirements.
Arguments For
Improved Safety: Aligns UK regulations with international standards for safer navigation, reducing risks to life and the environment.
International Compliance: Ensures the UK complies with the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), avoiding potential trade penalties and maintaining international credibility.
Targeted Exemptions: Provides exemptions for specific ship categories (e.g., smaller pleasure vessels, certain classes of passenger ships operating within restricted areas) based on assessed risk levels, reducing burdens on businesses where appropriate.
Legal Certainty: Provides clear legal framework and reduces ambiguity for operators regarding safety requirements, leading to improved operational performance and consistency across the maritime sector.
Arguments Against
Regulatory Burden: Potentially increases administrative burdens and costs for some maritime businesses in adapting to the amended regulations.
Complexity: The amended regulations' intricate structure and cross-referencing can cause confusion for operators, requiring significant resources for interpretation and compliance.
Unintended Consequences: The tailored amendments might create unintended loopholes or inconsistencies if not properly implemented and monitored.
Enforcement Challenges: Effective enforcement of the detailed requirements may prove challenging and resource-intensive, depending on available inspection and audit capabilities.
- Citation and commencement (1) These Regulations may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) (Amendment) Regulations 2025. (2) These Regulations come into force on 5th March 2025.
This section establishes the title and effective date of the regulations.
The regulations are titled 'Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) (Amendment) Regulations 2025' and take effect on March 5th, 2025.
- Amendment of the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2020 (1) The Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2020 are amended as follows. (2) In regulation 5 (safety of navigation requirements)— (a) in paragraph (3)— (i) omit sub-paragraph (c)(iii); (ii) after sub-paragraph (c), insert— “(ca) regulation 19 in Chapter V, except for paragraphs 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.1.3, 2.1.4, 2.1.6, 2.1.7 and 2.1.8 (navigational equipment and arrangements), does not apply to— (i) ships which are not passenger ships and are not sea-going; (ii) ships of Class V;”; (iii) after sub-paragraph (d), insert— “(da) paragraph 2.4 of regulation 19 in Chapter V (automatic identification system) does not apply to ships of Class IV;”; (iv) in sub-paragraph (h)— (aa) for “27”, substitute “26”; (bb) at the end of paragraph (ii), omit “and”; (v) after sub-paragraph (h), insert— “(ha) regulation 27 in Chapter V (nautical charts and nautical publications) does not apply to— (i) pleasure vessels below 150 gross tons engaged on any voyage; (ii) ships which are not passenger ships and are not sea-going; (iii) ships of Class V; and”; (b) in paragraph (5)— (i) after the definition of “Merchant Shipping Notice”, insert— ““passenger” means a person other than— (a) the master and the members of the crew or other persons employed or engaged in any capacity on board a ship on the business of that ship; or (b) a child under one year of age; “passenger ship” means a ship which carries more than 12 passengers;”; (ii) at the end of the definition of “sea-going”, insert— “; ships of Class IV means passenger ships engaged only on voyages in Category A, B, C or D waters; “ships of Class V” means passenger ships engaged only on voyages in Category A, B or C waters.”.
This section details amendments to Regulation 5 of the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2020.
Subsections (a) and (b) modify existing requirements and provide exceptions concerning navigational equipment, automatic identification systems, and nautical publications for non-passenger and specific classes of passenger ships.
The changes specify which vessels are exempt from the requirements of Regulation 19, based largely on size, passenger capacity, and operating area (waters categories A-D).
It further defines “passenger” and “passenger ship”, and establishes new classes of ships (Class IV and Class V).
These amendments aim to balance safety needs with practical considerations for different ship types.
- Amendment of the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 (1) The Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 are amended as follows. (2) In the table in paragraph 5 of Part 1 of Schedule 1 (fees under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995), under heading H (radio and navigational equipment), in respect of the entry for the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2020, in the third column for “None”, substitute—“2022/12192025/134”.
This section outlines amendments to the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018.
Specifically, it updates the fee schedule in Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 5 for entries related to radio and navigational equipment.
The 'None' designation for fees under the Merchant Shipping (Safety of Navigation) Regulations 2020 is replaced with specific references ('2022/12192025/134'), presumably indicating revised fees.