Newbuildings (coordinating the departments of the Ship Safety Division):
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


Flag State Interpretations:
BG Verkehr / Dienststelle Schiffssicherheit
Referat Schiffbau
Brandstwiete 1
20457 Hamburg


Alexander Dierichs
Phone: +49 40 361 37-244
Fax: +49 40 361 37-204


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

Webcode for this Content: 16183882

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. 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).

8. 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)

9. Application for ship safety certificates (please state the date of the ship’s delivery):

10. Fitting out of the ship in accordance with the National List of Equipment for sea ships under German flag and with medical equipment.

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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:

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Flag State Interpretations

So far, you found the Flag State Interpretations (FIs) in this section. Since we are currently fundamentally revising and updating the FIs for you, they are not available online at the moment.

We endeavor to provide the FIs for you again as soon as possible. Please direct any questions to this regard to Alexander Dierichs or the Shipbuilding department.

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Plan approval for ship’s equipment

For any newly constructed, modified or refitted ship under the German flag a plan approval of the ship’s equipment is required. By means of drawings and documents it will be verified that all requirements regarding arrangement, fitting and installation of the ship’s equipment 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.

Follow the link for further information on plan approval and on the surveys for navigational and radio equipment.

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Flag document

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

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