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

16. Ship names regulations
(1) The Chief Executive in Council may make regulations— (Amended 64 of 1999 s. 3)
(a) requiring the name by which it is proposed to register a ship to be approved by the Registrar before the name is marked on the ship or entered in the register;
(b) empowering the Registrar to reserve a name for a ship;
(c) empowering the Registrar to refuse to register any ship by the name by which it is proposed to register that ship if the name—
(i) is already the name of a registered ship or is reserved, or is in the opinion of the Registrar so similar as to be likely to deceive; or
(ii) is in the opinion of the Registrar undesirable for the purposes of registration in Hong Kong.
(2) If, in the case of any ship which it is proposed to register—
(a) the Registrar refuses to register the ship by the name by which it is proposed to register the ship; or
(b) any requirements of the regulations are not complied with,
the Registrar shall not register that ship under the name proposed or until the regulations are complied with, as the case may be.
(3) (a)  A ship shall have a name which may be either in English alphabetic characters or in Chinese characters and which may include numerals:
Provided that where the name is in Chinese characters, the phonetically corresponding name in the English alphabet shall also be shown. 
(b) If a ship has a name in both English and Chinese characters, each shall be a separate name for the purposes of this section and section 17. (Replaced 64 of 1999 s. 3)

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

17. Rules as to ship names
(1) A person shall not describe a registered ship by any name other than that by which the ship is for the time being registered.
(2) The owner or demise charterer of a registered ship shall not change the name of the ship, or cause or permit any such change, without the previous written permission of the Registrar.
(3) An application for permission of the Registrar under subsection (2) shall be in writing, and if the Registrar is of the opinion that the application is reasonable he may entertain it.
(4) Upon the grant of permission to change the name—
(a) the Registrar shall enter the ship’s new name in the register; and
(b) subject to section 18(2), the owner or demise charterer shall cause the new name to be marked on the ship’s bows and stern.
(5) The Registrar shall, if it is shown to his satisfaction that the name of a ship has been changed without his permission, direct that the ship’s name be altered into the name which it bore before the change, and upon such direction but subject to section 18(2), the owner or demise charterer shall cause that name to be marked on its bows and stern.
(6) A person who contravenes subsection (1) commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 2.(Amended E.R. 1 of 2022)
(7) An owner or demise charterer who contravenes subsection (2), (4)(b) or (5) commits an offence and is liable to a fine at level 2.(Amended E.R. 1 of 2022)
(8) The Director may, where there is a contravention of, or failure to comply with any requirement or direction under, this section in respect of a ship, detain the ship until the contravention ceases or the requirement or direction is complied with, as the case may be.

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

19. Application for registration
(1) Subject to subsection (2), an application for registration of a ship shall be made by the person or persons applying to be registered as owner, as follows—
(a) in the case of one or more individuals, by that or those persons, as the case may be, or by an individual or individuals appointed to act on his or their behalf;
(b) in the case of one or more bodies corporate, by an individual or individuals authorized to act on its or their behalf.
(2) An application for registration of a ship which is to be registered by virtue of section 11(1)(b) shall be made by both the demise charterer and the owner in the manner provided by subsection (1).
(3) Where an application is made by a person on behalf of an owner or demise charterer, the authority of that person shall be testified by writing—
(a) if appointed by one or more individuals, under the hand and seal of the person or persons so appointing him;
(b) if authorized by a body corporate possessing a common seal, under the seal of the body corporate; or
(c) if authorized by a body corporate not possessing a common seal, under the hand and seal of a person purporting to be authorized by the body corporate to make declarations on its behalf under section 84.
(4) An application made by a person authorized by a body corporate not possessing a common seal shall include a declaration by that person that the body concerned does not possess a common seal.
(5) An application shall be in the specified form and shall include, in addition to the declaration referred to in subsection (4) (if required)—
(a) the consent, in writing, of the representative person appointed in relation to the ship, to his appointment;
(b) in the case of a ship which is to be registered by virtue of section 11(1)(b)—
(i) the consent, in writing, of the owner to the ship’s registration in Hong Kong; and
(ii) a declaration by both the owner and demise charterer—
(A) that the demise charterer is a qualified person;
(B) that the demise charterer will under the demise charter have possession of the ship and control of all matters relating to the navigation and operation of the ship including employment of the master and crew; and (Amended 9 of 2001 s. 4)
(C) that the ship will not be registered elsewhere for so long as it is registered in Hong Kong.
(6) An application shall be accompanied by declarations made under section 20(1) or (2), as the case may be.

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

23. Entry of particulars in the register
When the requirements of this Ordinance preliminary to 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 name of the ship;
(b) such of the details specified in the certificate of survey as the Registrar considers essential for the purposes of registration;
(c) the particulars of the ship’s origin as stated in the application for registration;
(d) the name, address and description of each owner including, where applicable, each owner other than a qualified person, and a statement of the number of shares in or parts of the ship owned by each and the total interest in the ship;
(e) where the ship is to be registered by virtue of section 11(1)(b)—
(i) the name, address and description of the demise charterer; and
(ii) the period of the demise charter as specified in the charter-party; and
(f) the name and address of the representative person.

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

24. Certificate of registry
Upon the registration of a ship, the Registrar shall grant a certificate of registry, in the specified form, containing the particulars relating to the ship entered in the register pursuant to section 23.

25. Retention of documents
Upon the registration of a ship, the Registrar shall retain in his possession the following documents in respect of the ship—
(a) the application for registration;
(b) the certificate of survey;
(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. 5)(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.

26. Port of registry
The port of registry of every registered ship shall be Hong Kong.