### Merchant Shipping (Registration) Ordinance 《商船(註冊)條例》

27. Application for provisional registration
(1) An application for provisional registration of a ship—
(a) shall be made in the specified form by the person or persons applying to be provisionally registered as owner and (as the case may be) by the demise charterer, in the manner provided in respect of an application for registration under section 19;
(b) shall include the declarations and consents referred to in that section; and
(c) shall be accompanied by declarations made under section 20(1) or (2), as the case may be.
(2) Subject to subsection (2A), the following evidence shall be produced to the Registrar in addition to the application and the documents referred to in subsection (1)— (Amended 9 of 2001 s. 6)
(a) the documents and information specified in section 21(1)(a)(i), (ii) and (iv), (b) and (c), or (3)(a)(i), (ii) and (iv), (b), (c) and (d), as the case may be;
(b) a duly certified copy of the ship’s current tonnage certificate; and
(c) such other documents or information as may be specified in instructions or as the Registrar may reasonably require.
(2A) A copy of the builder’s certificate or the bill of sale specified in section 21(1)(a)(i) and (3)(a)(i) may be produced in substitution for their originals as required under subsection (2)(a). (Added 9 of 2001 s. 6)
(3)  In subsection (2) current tonnage certificate (當時的噸位證明書) means a certificate or other document issued by the relevant authority of a place outside Hong Kong where the ship was previously registered—
(a) certifying or stating, as the case may be, the tonnage measurement of the ship; and
(b) in force at the time of its production.

(4) Notwithstanding anything in subsection (2)(a), that provision shall, in so far as it requires the production of a valid identity card issued in respect of any person, be deemed to be complied with if there is produced to the Registrar—
(a) a photostatic copy of the identity card; and
(b) a declaration by the person in respect of whom the identity card was issued that it is a true copy of such identity card and that the identity card is valid.
(5) An application under subsection (1) shall be further accompanied by a statement by the applicant of the port in which and the approximate time at which the ship will be surveyed for the purposes of registration under section 23.

### Merchant Shipping (Registration) Ordinance 《商船(註冊)條例》

28. Entry of particulars in the register on provisional registration
(1) Subject to subsection (2), where the requirements of this Ordinance preliminary to provisional registration have been complied with in relation to a ship the Registrar shall enter in the register the following particulars relating to the ship—
(a) the particulars referred to in section 23(a), (c), (d), (e) and (f);
(b) such of the details specified in the ship’s current tonnage certificate referred to in section 27(2) as the Registrar considers essential for the purposes of registration; and
(c) the date of expiry of the period of provisional registration referred to in section 29(1)(b).
(2) The Registrar shall not enter in the register particulars relating to a ship under subsection (1) unless an application for registration of the ship has been made under section 19 and the application has at the time of entering such particulars yet to be determined.

29. Period of provisional registration
(1) Without prejudice to the provisions of sections 54 to 63, the provisional registration of a ship shall be deemed to be closed upon—
(a) the registration of the ship under section 23; or
(b) the expiry of a period of 1 month commencing on the date of provisional registration,
whichever first occurs.
(2) The Registrar may, upon application made by the owner or demise charterer of a ship while the ship is provisionally registered, extend the period of provisional registration referred to in subsection (1)(b) by one or more further periods of 1 month but he shall not extend the period—
(a) by more than 1 month on any one application; or
(b) in any case, unless there are special circumstances which justify the extension.
(3) Where the Registrar extends the period of provisional registration of a ship under subsection (2)—
(a) he shall make an entry in the register accordingly; and
(b) subsection (1) shall for the purposes of this section have effect in relation to the ship as if the reference to the period of 1 month in that subsection were a reference to the period as extended under subsection (2).
(4) Where the provisional registration of a ship is deemed to be closed under subsection (1), section 67 shall apply as respects any undischarged registered mortgage of the ship.
(Amended 9 of 2001 s. 7)

### Merchant Shipping (Registration) Ordinance 《商船(註冊)條例》

30. Certificate of provisional registration
(1) Upon the provisional registration of a ship under section 28, the Registrar shall grant a certificate of provisional registry, in the specified form, containing—
(a) the particulars relating to the ship entered in the register pursuant to that section; and
(b) the date of expiry of the period of provisional registration referred to in section 29(1).
(2) A certificate of provisional registry in respect of a ship shall remain in force until—
(a) the grant of a certificate of registry in respect of the ship under section 24; or
(b) the expiry of the period of provisional registration referred to in section 29(1),
whichever first occurs.
(3) Where the period of provisional registration referred to in section 29(1) is extended under section 29(2), the Registrar shall grant a further certificate of provisional registry in respect of the extended period.
(4) Upon the grant of a certificate of registry or further certificate of provisional registry in respect of a ship, the owner, demise charterer or master of the ship shall deliver the ship’s certificate of provisional registry or previous certificate of provisional registry, as the case may be, or cause such certificate to be delivered, to the Registrar—
(a) forthwith, if the ship is in Hong Kong; or
(b) if the ship is not in Hong Kong, as soon as practicable and in any case within a period of 30 days after the grant of the certificate of registry or further certificate of provisional registry, as the case may be.
(5) An owner, demise charterer or master who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with subsection (4) commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 2.(Amended E.R. 1 of 2022)
(6) Nothing in subsection (4) shall derogate from or affect the application of section 66 to a certificate of provisional registry.

31. Retention of documents on provisional registration
Upon the provisional registration of a ship under section 28, the Registrar shall retain in his possession the following documents in respect of the ship—
(a) the application for provisional registration;
(b) the certified copy of the current tonnage certificate;
(c) the certificate or declaration of marking of the ship;
(d) the declarations made under section 20(1) or (2), as the case may be;
(e) (Repealed 9 of 2001 s. 8)(f) any foreign certificate of deletion delivered to the Registrar whether pursuant to section 58 or otherwise;
(g) the copy of the condemnation (if any); and
(h) such other documents as are specified in instructions or as the Registrar may reasonably require.