Pre-Registration Surveys

Prior to accepting a commercial vessel for registration, a Merchant Ship Flag-in Matrix “scoring” system is used by Cayman to ensure that the vessel meets minimum safety and operational standards.

Criteria such as age of ship, type of ship, previous PSC record, present classification society, current owner or manager, previous Flag State Administration, etc. are all taken into consideration when assessing the vessel.

Those ships obtaining a high score (100+) may not be offered registration, those obtaining a low to high score (50-99) may be allowed to register subject to a satisfactory inspection conducted by a Cayman surveyor who will attend the vessel along with Class at Flag-in.

Those vessels obtaining a low score (50 or less) will be accepted and flag-in surveys may be delegated to Class.

Vessels over 15 years old or those vessels with a medium to high score may also require a “pre-registration” survey by a Cayman surveyor, depending on the particular case, to determine whether it is of a standard suitable for registration. This requirement also helps the owner to make decisions before incurring the expense of incorporating an owning company. To assist in these situations, the Owner (or authorised representative) or the subject vessel’s Class may also be asked to provide details of any Conditions of Class, enhanced surveys, PSC records; or such other vetting information deemed necessary as part of Cayman’s pre-registration quality assurance efforts.