Shipping Registration
The Australian Shipping Registration Office was established in 1982 under the provisions of the Shipping Registration Act 1981 . Since the formation of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in 1991, the office has been a part of the Authority.
The main purpose of the Act is to fix the conditions for the registration of ships in Australia and to grant ships Australian nationality. It also provides for Australian ships to fly the Australian National Flag or the Australian Red Ensign in accordance with Australia's obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 , to which Australia is a party.
The business of the office includes the establishment of the ownership of ships, the registration of mortgages and caveats, the granting of certificates and providing public access to the information held in the Australian Register of Ships.
It should be noted that the Australian States also keep records of ships and small craft that are subject to their jurisdiction. The State records, however, are not registers of ownership or nationality.
IMPORTANT
Changes to the Registration of Ship Mortgages
Security interests currently recorded on the Australian Shipping Register will be moved to the new Personal Property Securities Register (PPSR) in early 2012.
The PPSR will replace over 20 existing asset registers including registers operated by the Australian Government such as the Australian Register of Ships, the Fisheries Register and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission Register of Company Charges, as well as state and territory government registers such as the registers of encumbered vehicles and vehicle securities.
Personal property listed on the PPSR includes security interests on assets that may be used to secure a loan, such as shipping, cars, boats, crops and intellectual property.
The PPSR does not include real estate property, such as houses or land.
The PPSR will be web-based and accessible to search and register security interests 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
It should be noted that all states and territories retain responsibility for the registration of ships and small craft operated for recreational and commercial purposes on waters within their respective jurisdictions. These records, however, are maintained for regulatory and marine safety purposes at a state level and will not be changed by PPS reform.
The new PPSR is part of a reform that will affect the way businesses and consumers deal with secured finance in Australia. Business owners and consumers may be affected by changes to personal property security laws as:
- buyers of properties that may be subject to a security interest
- business borrowers or consumer borrowers
- providers of credit, or
- investors who are contemplating buying a business.
The PPS Register can also help business owners manage credit risk, check whether goods planned for purchase are encumbered and search and register assets used to secure a loan.
For more information about PPS reform visit www.ppsr.gov.au
Please note:
Due to the transfer of Ship’s mortgages from the Australian Register of Ships to the Personal Properties Security Register on the 30th January 2012, the Australian Register of Ships will not register any further ships mortgage's after the 20th January 2012.