Register and operate a sea-going ship
If you operate sea-going passenger or cargo ships on coastal or international voyages, you must register the ship …
Transport & Logistics
Which water transport rules apply to your business
Water transport spans very different businesses — sea-going passenger and cargo ships, canal and river trip boats and ferries on inland and categorised waters, and the freight that moves on them — each with its own certification regime, on top of the workplace duties they all share. Work out which description fits your business and follow the right guide.
UK-wide
On this page
UK-wide
Related guides in General Compliance
Fishing and aquaculture: compliance checklist
Use this checklist to confirm your fishing or aquaculture business (SIC division 03) meets its obligations. Work through …
Get the specialist approvals for the systems you repair and install
Some kinds of equipment can only be worked on under a specific approval or certification. If you install, …
Which approval regime applies to your transport equipment
An orientation guide for makers of transport equipment (SIC divisions 29 and 30). It routes you to the …
Meet your sea fishing vessel duties
If you operate a sea fishing vessel commercially, you must hold a fishing vessel licence, register the vessel …
"Water transport" covers businesses that move people and goods by sea, on rivers and canals, and on the estuaries and harbours in between. A deep-sea cargo line, a passenger ferry, a canal trip-boat operator and a coastal freight barge are different businesses, but they are regulated by the same body — the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) — under a single framework, the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. Marine accidents are investigated by the Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB). What every operator shares is a common set of workplace duties.
The maritime regime is broadly the same across the United Kingdom — the Merchant Shipping Act and MCA certification apply UK-wide. Start with the duties every water transport business shares, then follow the guide for your kind of operation.
Every water transport business
Whatever you operate, start with the universal workplace duties — health and safety, accident reporting, employers' liability insurance, equality and data protection.
- Set up and run a safe water transport operation — the shared spine for every operator
Work out which rules apply
Find the description that best fits your business. If more than one applies — for example, you crew a sea-going ship and run a categorised-waters ferry — follow every guide that is relevant.
- You operate sea-going ships (passenger or cargo, on coastal or international voyages) — you must register the ship, hold survey and safety certificates, and meet the ISM, load line, dangerous-goods and security regimes. Start with Register and operate a sea-going ship.
- You crew ships and employ seafarers — masters, officers and ratings need MCA certificates of competency and medical fitness certificates, and you must meet safe-manning and seafarer-employment standards. See Crewing and seafarer certification.
- You operate on inland or categorised waters (canal and river trip boats, ferries, passenger launches, freight on inland waterways) — you need a navigation authority licence, a Boat Safety Scheme certificate, and the domestic safety-management and vessel-technical regimes. See Run passenger or freight services on inland and categorised waters.
Confirm you have covered everything
Whatever you operate, finish with the water transport compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are in place before you begin or continue trading.
Official sources
Authoritative starting points for water transport businesses.