Bareboat Charter

Bareboat-in registration is for ships whose ownership is registered in another country and is governed by the Bareboat Act (Wet nationaliteit zeeschepen in rompbevrachting). 

 

Conditions for bareboat-in registration

The bareboat charterer should have a business or branch office in the Netherlands under Dutch law.

From this office the vessel must be managed by one or more authorized persons who are empowered to act on behalf of the owner or bareboat charterer in all matters regarding the ship and its master and crewmembers. A substitute with full powers should be appointed in the case of absence.

No conflict in law may exist or arise between the state of civil registration and the Netherlands regarding registration as a bareboat charterer;

Requirements

Authorized staff in the office which operates a ship registered in the Netherlands is responsible for keeping the following data and documents at his office in the Netherlands:

  1. position of the seagoing vessel;
  2. state of the technical maintenance of the seagoing vessel;
  3. the names, functions, certificates of competence of the crewmembers;
  4. personal data, as referred to in Article 3 of the Seafarers Act;
  5. the individual maritime labour agreements with the crew members serving on board the seagoing vessel and also the collective labour agreements which apply to the crew members;
  6. the names of passengers and of other persons on board the seagoing vessel, as applicable, and
  7. the nature and the composition of the cargo in the case of hazardous or noxious substances.

It is possible to outsource tasks or activities, such as, for example, ISM within or outside the Netherlands. 

Dutch administration does not interfere with the internal affairs of your shipping company as long as there is compliance with the rights and responsibilities as set down in UNCLOS (the Law of the Sea) regarding the genuine link, and verifiable at your office in the Netherlands.

The Dutch Register sets no limits on a vessel’s age, but vessels need to be classified by one of the recognized classification societies.