The Hong Kong Shipping Register was set up in 1990 under the Hong Kong Merchant Shipping (Registration) Ordinance, administered by the Marine Department (Hong Kong). Since the transfer of sovereignty by the United Kingdom in 1997, Hong Kong is authorised under the Basic Law by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, using the name “Hong Kong, China” to maintain a separate

ship registration Ship registration is the process by which a ship is documented and given the nationality of the country to which the ship has been documented. The nationality allows a ship to travel internationally as it is proof of ownership of the vessel. Inter ...

system. In April 1999, the Hong Kong Government launched some new measures to improve the ship registration system in Hong Kong. By cooperation of government and

shipping industry Maritime transport (or ocean transport) or more generally waterborne transport, is the transport of people (passengers or goods (cargo) via waterways. Freight transport by watercraft has been widely used throughout recorded history, as it provi ...

, the total tonnage of ship registry in Hong Kong has reached over 129 million gross tons with over 2,400 vessels registered in May 2020. As of 2020 the Hong Kong Ship Register is the world’s fourth largest ship register. __TOC__

Ship registry fee

The first time registration fee for a ship is determined according to its

Gross Tonnage Gross tonnage (GT, G.T. or gt) is a nonlinear measure of a ship's overall internal volume. Gross tonnage is different from gross register tonnage. Neither gross tonnage nor gross register tonnage should be confused with measures of mass or weig ...

(GT). The annual tonnage charge for a ship is determined referring to its

Net Tonnage Net tonnage (NT, N.T. or nt) is a dimensionless index calculated from the total moulded volume of the ship's cargo spaces by using a mathematical formula. Defined in ''The International Convention on Tonnage Measurement of Ships'' that was adopte ...

(NT). The minimum annual tonnage charge is HK$1,500 with every tonne above 1000 NT costing an extra HK$3.5 until 15,000 NT, whereby the rate lowers to HK$3 per tonne thereafter. The charge would not exceed HK$77,500. Annual Tonnage Charge (ATC) Reduction Scheme Hong Kong Shipping Ordinance, the Regulation 4 “Annual tonnage charges” of Chapter 415A “MERCHANT SHIPPING (REGISTRATION) (FEES AND CHARGES) REGULATIONS” Since February 2006, the Annual Tonnage Charge (ATC) Reduction Scheme has been enacted to reduce the long term cost for ship owners, whereby, for every two years of the qualifying period, satisfying: # given the ship is continuously registered with the Hong Kong Shipping Register; # given the ship has no detention record under any Port State Control during said period, -the registered ship owner would have the right to enjoy a six months ATC reduction for the following year in general.

Preferential port dues

Hong Kong registered ships can enjoy about 30% preferential port dues in mainland China ports since January 2000. In order to reduce port and light dues for Hong Kong registered ships, HKSAR expects to sign up agreements with other countries which have a two-tier charging system.

Block registration incentive scheme

The Marine Department announced on February 14, 2025 a refund scheme of the ship registration fee and the first-year annual tonnage charge called the Block Registration Incentive Scheme. If more than one eligible ship is registered with the Hong Kong Shipping Registry (HKSR) within 24 months, the owners of the ships concerned are eligible for a refund, with the view to attracting more shipowners to register their ships in Hong Kong.

Shipping profit taxation

Income derived from the

international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...

of Hong Kong registered ships is exempted from profits tax. HKSAR has also entered into bilateral

double taxation Double taxation is the levying of tax by two or more jurisdictions on the same income (in the case of income taxes), asset (in the case of capital taxes), or financial transaction (in the case of sales taxes). Double liability may be mitigated ...

relief agreements with 40 countries which include: Agreement for the avoidance of double taxation (DTA):
Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, United States; Reciprocal tax exemption (RTE):
Chile, Korea, New Zealand; Comprehensive DTA (CDTA):
Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Czech, France, Guernsey, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jersey, Korea, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Mainland China, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Vietnam

Quality assurance system

The Flag State Quality Control (FSQC) System is based on an information system to monitor the quality of Hong Kong registered ships. By analyzing and collecting the information, unqualified conditions of a ship will be identified for Flag State inspection. The Pre-registration Quality Control (PRQC) System involves the Marine Department which will inspect a ship’s condition before it is registered in Hong Kong. The ship should meet all safety and pollution prevention standards announced by International Maritime Organization.

References

*Hong Kong Shipping Register User's Handbook, Marine Department of HKSAR

External links

Hong Kong Merchant Shipping Ordinance
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ship Registration In Hong Kong

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

Water transport in Hong Kong Ship registration