Belize is a small country on the east coast of Central America. On the northwest it borders Mexico, and on the west and south it borders Guatemala. The formal head of the country is Queen Elizabeth II, but the true power of the country is in the hands of the parliament and the government, which is led by the premier.
Belize is a developing country, where the country’s income depends on agriculture, tourism and the mining of natural resources. According to the World Bank, in 2010, the gross domestic product, when converted to one citizen, along with its parity of buying power, reached a value of 6,566 international dollars. Sugar cane is grown on the plantations; small farms grow oranges, grapefruit, beans, bananas, corn and coconuts. The breeding of cattle and fishing (fish, shrimp, and lobster) is also significant. The most significantly exported raw material is crude oil, followed by bananas and other tropical fruits and juices made from them, sugar and seafood.
Islands and coral reefs along the coast are a tourist attraction. In 2009, income from tourism was almost 19% of the overall GDP of the country.
Ownership of Belize Registered Vessels
if you’re thinking about ship registration in Belize, it’s necessary you know that as most open registries, do not have any restrictions as to the eligibility or nationality of its owners, thus allowing any national (corporate or natural person) to own a vessel under the Belizean Flag.
Provisional and Permanent Ship Registration in Belize
The Belizean Merchant Shipping Act was enacted in 1989, an later amended by Act No. 5 of 1996. At an initial stage the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize will issue a Provisional Patent of navigation for six months, thus allowing the owner to comply with necessary documentation that will allow vessels representative to apply for Permanent Registration. Both Provisional Patent of Navigation and a Provisional Ship Station License, as well as the full term Patent and Radio License, will be requested by vessels representative in Belize.
Age Limitations
The International Merchant Ship Registry of Belize (IMMARBE) has established and age acceptance limitation for vessel. All vessels except yachts, fishing vessels, non-propelled barges, special registrations and new registrations, will necessarily have to comply with a limit in terms of age (25) years will be the limit in age vessels must have to be able to apply for registration in Belize .
Classification Companies
The International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (Immarbe) has granted exclusive authorization to the following organizations:
IACS
- American Bureau of Shipping (ABS)
- Bureau Veritas (BV)
- China Classification Society (CCS)
- Det Norske Veritas(DNV)
- Germanischer Lloyd (GL)
- Indian Register of Shipping (IRS)
- Korean Register of Shipping (KRS)
- Lloyds Register of Shipping (LR)
- Nippon Kaiji Kyokai (Class NK)
- Registro Italiano Navale (RINA)
- Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (RMRS)
NON-IACS
- China Corporation Register of Shipping (CRS)
- Global Shipping Class, Inc. (GSC)
- Intermaritime Certification Services (ICS Class)
- International Naval Surveys Bureau (INSB)
- Isthmus Bureau of Shipping (IBS)
- Maritime Technical System & Services Limited (MTSS)
- National Shipping Adjusters, Inc. (NASHA)
- Panama Bureau of Shipping (PBS)
- Panama Maritime Documentation Services (PMDS)
- Universal Maritime Bureau CO., LTD. (UMB)
- Universal Shipping Bureau Inc. (USB)
- Vietnam Register (VR)
if you need assistance and information about Ship Registration in Belize, please contact us
