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Every vessel shall be certificated and licensed for the appropriate class and type specified in
Schedule I to the Merchant Shipping (Certification and Licensing) Regulation, Cap 548D prior to operating the vessel in the waters of Hong Kong. The owner of a vessel should firstly apply to the Director of Marine for an Approval-in-Principle Letter (AIP Letter) before applying for the approval of plans, survey, Certificate of Ownership (COO) and Operating Licence (OL) unless the vessel is not required to undergo survey prior to issue of the COO and OL as detailed in the guidelines below. Applicants are advised to read the relevant guidelines before submission of an application.

Download Application Guidelines & Forms:-

Class I, II & III Vessels (Other than Pleasure Vessels)

Class IV Vessels (Pleasure Vessels)

Other application forms are also obtainable on the internet: Downloadable forms

Submission of Application

The completed application form together with the required documents and fee shall be submitted to any of the District Marine Offices with the exception that the following applications should be submitted to the Central Marine Office:

  1. Application for temporary licence for a foreign vessel to operate in Hong Kong within a definite period;
  2. Application for certification and licensing of an oil carrier; and
  3. Notification of Transfer of Ownership of an oil carrier.

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