Ship & Yacht Registration in Malta
Cefai & Associates have developed a Maltese ship registration practice which is one of the leaders in Malta. Our services in this area include:
- Malta flag and Malta ship registration under Maltese flag and overseas and dealings with formalities related thereto;
- Malta bareboat charter registrations;
- Maltese ship owning and Maltese ship management company incorporation;
- marine mortgages and other form of securities registered with the Maltese ship registry;
- discharging of mortgages registered under Maltese ship register;
- ship sales and purchases;
- ship finance;
- chartering and leasing by Maltese or non-Maltese shipping companies;
The administration of the Malta Flag is carried out by Transport Malta and is driven by safety considerations and compliance with international obligations. We are able to handle all technical and administrative aspects of the ship registration process in Malta and may provide round the clock service to our clients.
Vessel registration under the Malta flag and the operation of Maltese ships is regulated by the Merchant Shipping Act of 1973, a law based mainly on United Kingdom legislation but subsequently revised and amended in 1986, 1988, 1990 and 2000. The main legislation is supplemented by a comprehensive set of rules and regulations.
Advantages include:
- Malta flagged ships may be registered in the name of legally constituted corporate bodies or entities irrespective of nationality, or by European Union citiziens.
- Low Malta company formation,
- Low Malta ship registration and Maltese tonnage tax costs;
- progressive reduction in registration in the Maltese ship register and tonnage tax costs for younger ships;
- attractive incentives to owners, registered charterers and financiers of Maltese ships of over 1,000 net tonnage; these incentives may also be extended to smaller ships;
- no restrictions on the nationality of the master, officers and crew
- no restrictions on the sale or transfer of shares of a company owning Maltese ships;
- no restrictions on the sale and mortgaging of Maltese ships;
- no trading restrictions;
- preferential treatment to Maltese ships in certain ports;
- twenty four hour, seven days a week service in respect of urgent matters;
- Malta is an international maritime centre providing the whole range of maritime services.