A ship can be bareboat chartered and registered in Finland even if its ownership and mortgages are already registered in the register of ships of another country.
Based on an application submitted by the charterer, the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom can approve as Finnish a foreign ship that has been chartered to Finland without a crew, provided that the following conditions are met:
- The charterer is a Finnish citizen or a Finnish legal person or a citizen of a European Economic Area member state or a legal person established under the legislation of such a country, whose registered office, central administration or principal place of business is located in the European Economic Area.
- The ship is managed and operated out of Finland.
- The charterer agrees to take on all the obligations resulting from the ship being registered in the Transport Register or the register of ships maintained by the State Department of Åland for a fixed period.
- The ship’s owner, mortgagees and pledgees have provided their written consent for the registration of the ship in the Transport Register or the register of ships maintained by the State Department of Åland for a fixed period.
- The registering authority of the country in which the ownership of the ship is registered has provided their written consent for the registration of the ship in the Transport Register or the register of ships maintained by the State Department of Åland for a fixed period.
- The registration of the ship is assessed to contribute to the maritime industries of Finland and their employment.
If the charterer of a ship that is chartered without a crew is a citizen or a legal person of a European Economic Area member state, the charterer, if they are not responsible for the ship in accordance with item 2) above, is required, in addition to meeting the conditions listed above, to name a representative who has a permanent municipality of residence and place of residence in Finland to carry out this task.
The approval decision can be made for the duration of a charter party, but only for up to five years at a time. A new decision can be made after the previous approval has expired.
Traficom will withdraw the approval if the requirements for granting it are no longer met or the conditions are not met.
A ship that has been registered in the Transport Register or the register of ships maintained by the State Department of Åland pursuant to this section is subject to Finnish law, with the exception of issues related to the ownership and mortgaging of the ship, which are subject to the law of the country in which the ownership of the ship is registered. Registering a mortgage over the ship in Finland is not allowed.
Provisions concerning the bareboat registration of ships are laid down in chapter 1, section 1 b of the Maritime Code (674/1994).