Changes in ship station licence (CallSign, MMSI, ATIS) of the Netherlands

[BM2023]

An amendment has been proposed with regard to who may or may not register a ship station licence in the Netherlands.

Because quite some ships station licences were registered to vessels that were not even registered in the Netherlands, neither in the formal ships registrar nor in the informal registrar, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate has submitted an amendment.

In the amendment only the following can apply for a ship station licence :

• vessel that have a Certificate of Registry, that was issued in the Netherlands. Ergo that the vessel is formally registered in the ships registrar of the Netherlands;
  
• a legal entity with a head- or branch office in the Netherlands or a natural person registered in the Netherlands

A private individual or company that has an International Certificate Pleasure Craft (ICP) registered to their name, will no longer be permitted to apply for a ship station licence. Neither may existing ship station licence be maintained.

Ships sailing under the flag of another flag state than the Netherlands, will not be permitted to maintain the ships station license either.

The amendment has not yet been approved by parliament, but as soon as it does one has 12 months to meet the above criteria. If one does not meet the criteria the licence will have to be cancelled.

In conclusion: if you have an ICP in combination with a ship station licence (CallSign, MMSI & ATIS), as issued by Agentschap Telecom, and your ICP needs renewing this year, you may want to consider a formal registration in the Netherlands or else ware, knowing that next year the ship station licence will most probably have to be cancelled.

[BM2023]

It is now official, that as from 1 July 2019 only boats registered in the Dutch ships registrar or boats owned by Dutch nationals or citizens, kan register a ships station licence (MMSI, CallSign & ATIS) in the Netherlands.

This means that all licence holders have to either register their vessel in the Netherlands ships registrar or have the ship station licence deleted.

If you are not considering the Dutch ships registrar, then it would be wise to have it deleted before the end of this year, otherwise you will have to pay the full tax amount even if you are obliged to have it deleted before 30 June 2020.