Newbuildings:

BG Verkehr / Dienststelle Schiffssicherheit
Referat Nautik
Brandstwiete 1
20457 Hamburg


Peer Lange
Phone: +49 40 361 37-319
Fax: +49 40 361 37-204
Mobile: +49 171 882 70 68
Mail: nautik@bg-verkehr.de



Radio and navigation equipment of newbuildings:

Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie
Sachgebiet S 21
Bernhard-Nocht-Straße 78
20359 Hamburg

Matthias Lafrentz
Phone: +49 40 31 90-7210
Fax: +49 40 31 90-50 00
Mail: matthias.lafrentz@bsh.de



Flag State Information:

BG Verkehr / Dienststelle Schiffssicherheit
Referat Schiffbau
Brandstwiete 1
20457 Hamburg


Alexander Dierichs
Phone: +49 40 361 37-244
Fax: +49 40 361 37-204
Mail: schiffbau@bg-verkehr.de

Newbuilding and conversion

Check list for newbuildings

Design and construction of seagoing ships under the German flag is actively supported by the German flag state administration.

All relevant items are clearly listed in the following check list for newbuildings.

  • DS = Dienststelle Schiffssicherheit der (Ship Safety Division of the) BG Verkehr
  • BSH = Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency)
  1. Submission of the announcement of newbuilding to the DS (who will forward it to the BSH)
  2. Plan approval
  3. Ship construction
  4. Application for tonnage measurement by the BSH and for the International Tonnage Certificate (ITC 69) (Application tonnage measurement, in German only)
  5. Application for registration in a German shipping register and for the ship certificate at the responsible district court of the envisaged home port
  6. Application for registration in the German International Shipping Register (GIS) at the BSH, if applicable (Application for GIS, only in German)
  7. For sea-going ships made from a material other than wood or metal, having the procedure for installing the IMO ship identification number on the ship approved by the BSH: Application for procedure approval 
  8. Application for assignment of numbers for mobile maritime radio service (call sign, MMSI, ATIS; ship station licence) (in German only) at the Bundesnetzagentur (German Federal Network Agency).
  9. Ship survey
    • by a recognized organisation (classification society) for ships with class notation (which is the norm), or
    • by the DS in case of ships without classification, as well as
    • by the BSH with regard to navigational and radio equipment as well as equipment according to COLREG 72 (Application for on-board survey)
  10. Application for ship safety certificates (please state the date of the ship’s delivery):
  11. Fitting out of the ship in accordance with the National List of Equipment for sea ships under German flag and with medical equipment.

(back to top)

bild neu- und umbau

Additional information on new building of ships

Further to the above check list the following links provide the most important information and requirements relevant to newbuildings under the German flag:

(back to top)

Flag State Interpretations

We, as Flag State Administration, offer you the consistent interpretation of international and national rules and regulations so that you e.g. as employee of a shipyard, as ship designer or ship operator know what applies for newbuildings and conversions. With our "Flag State Information" (FI), we ensure a practice-oriented standard when interpreting provisions. 

After a fundamental revision, the first documents with Flag State Information (FI) are available to you (overview of the current revisions). We endeavour to finalize further FIs and make them available to you soon.

Regarding several or all topics:

Structural Condition:

Intact Stability:

National Load Line

(back to top)

Plan approval for navigational and radio equipment

For any newly constructed, modified or refitted ship under the German flag a plan approval of the navigational and radio equipment as well as navigational lights should be conducted. This plan approval is part of the initial survey. By means of drawings and documents it will be verified whether all requirements regarding arrangement, fitting and installation are complied with. Plan approval is the preliminary stage to the ship’s survey and helps to avoid costly modifications, which might otherwise become necessary.

The list of inspections/review according to BfP and BfA indicates which navigation equipment requires plan approval or on-board survey.

Please submit the following form:

Please submit the required documents in due time. This will reduce the risk of having to undergo expensive modifications when equipment was installed incorrectly.

The procedure is stipulated with „Bedingungen für die Planprüfung der vorgesehenen Aufstellung, Anbringung bzw. des Einbaus von Navigations- und Funkausrüstung sowie Ausrüstung nach COLREG 72“  (BfP). In its annex, these conditions contain particular arrangement requirements for particular equipment. The BSH forwards a copy of the approval statements and for newbuildings a list of navigational equipment to the Ship Safety Division. 

(back to top)

Flag document

Information about the flag document can be found under Flag documents.

(back to top)