BVI BENEFITS
John Samuel looks at increasing the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry’s efficiency and creating added benefits for commercial and private yachts
Located to the east of Puerto Rico and the west of St. Maarten, nestled between beautiful tropical islands and surrounded by the clear blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, the British Virgin Islands boasts a sailor’s paradise. With options of 60 islands and cays and various anchorages throughout, the waters of the BVI are the perfect choice for maritime activity for boaters worldwide.
This tiny British Caribbean Territory is much more than a vacation destination; it is the ultimate destination for companies owning international and BVI yachts, owners and guests onboard. The BVI is a maritime nation authorised via international maritime conventions extended by the United Kingdom, creating a superior operational and management foundation for maritime operations.
As the maritime administration arm of the BVI, the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry (VISR) executes and enforces maritime standards and legislation relative to the safety and navigation for boats within the Territory and vessels registered under the BVI flag.
The VISR comprises of a team of highly qualified staff which includes maritime registrars, surveyors, and inspectors; a full complement of technical staff enabling full support and certification capabilities across all vessel types, maritime conventions and vessel codes.
There is much to look forward to for yachters and service providers sailing to or interested in registering their vessel in the British Virgin Islands.
Benefits to be derived includes:
- Three options for port registration which includes Road Harbour, Gorda Sound or White Bay
- Fully functioning Red Ensign register and flag, which guarantees the highest quality and standards and allows for hassle free transit into and out of foreign ports
- Upgraded consumer portals and electronic platforms that facilitate greater efficiency for certification and registering vessels
The new Director of the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry, Mr. John Samuel speaks to a new direction for the organisation, “My goal as we move into the upcoming cruising season, with the projected easement of COVID-19, is to reinvigorate the Shipping Registry with a new purpose of being more efficient and effective, with a core focus of creating added value and benefits for our clients. Our customers are important to us and we want to ensure that when they register under the BVI flag they receive special benefits that will set them apart from vessels registered elsewhere. In so doing, our aim is to leverage the destinations appeal with the addition of a cadre of processing and economic advantages that will be launched in fall 2021. Additionally, we are assiduously working on policies that will benefit yachts owned by a BVI Company, registered in the BVI, and based in the BVI. These policies will allow for unrestricted trading between BVI islands, unrestricted charters per year, duty exemptions, easier customs and immigration clearances and the application of lower fees in a simplistic fee structure.”
With a new direction and added benefits for BVI flagged vessels, the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry is full steam ahead in implementing major enhancements to its maritime product and services. Why not choose the BVI for all your maritime needs.RED ENSIGN
The Red Ensign flown by BVI ships provides a highly valued guarantee of the integrity of the registration process and the ability to record and legally prove a mortgage under English Law. VISR also benefits from all technical research and development work created and carried out by the Red Ensign group of flags. This ensures that the organisation remains on the cutting edge of industry developments and maintains a quality maritime administration, while being free to establish a specialised customer service approach and create an economic regime consonant with the of the BVI.
For more details email: [email protected] or visit www.bvimaritime.vg