The Gibraltar Ship Registry (GSR) is a member of the Category I Red Ensign Group of the United Kingdom and United Kingdom dependency registers. The Category I Red Ensign Group now comprises the United Kingdom, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, the British Virgin Islands and the Isle of Man. The GSR is one of two sections within the Gibraltar Maritime Administration (GMA), the other being the Gibraltar Maritime Survey Division. The GMA is headed by the Maritime Administrator, appointed by the Minister for Maritime Affairs.

The advantages of registering a ship in Gibraltar are many, not least fiscal: membership of the Red Ensign Group and the benefits that derive from Gibraltar’s status as part of the European Union (EU). The GSR is also an EU Member States’ Register and its vessels are entitled to full EU cabotage privileges.

The Register is open to all types of ships irrespective of size, with the exception of fishing vessels, ships propelled by nuclear power and ships not classed with one of the recognised Classification Societies. Ships that are over twenty years old on the day of registration have additional requirements.

Gibraltar recognises Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR) and the British Committees of American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Bureau Veritas (BV), Det Norske Veritas (DNV), Germanischer Lloyd (GL), Registro Italiano Navale (RINA) and Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK) – and it is to these Classification Societies that some surveys and audits are delegated.

Changes in Gibraltar legislation now permit a wider range of individuals or corporate bodies to be qualified persons eligible to own a registerable ship.
Information on registering a ship in Gibraltar can be obtained from the GSR:

Gibraltar Ship Registry
(Gibraltar Maritime Administration)
Watergate House
2/8 Casemates Square
Gibraltar
Telephone No.: (+350) 2004 7771
Fax No.: (+350) 2004 7770
Gibraltar Ship Registry email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Information on the audit and survey regime can be obtained from:
Gibraltar Maritime Survey Division: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Telephone No : (+350) 200 50424
Fax No : (+350) 200 47770

You are also welcome to visit the official website of the Gibraltar Maritime Administration for further guidance or updates: www.gibmaritime.com