Denmark has launched the world’s first digital ship register to increase security related to ship registration and ship trading.
This week, Danish Maritime Authority rolled out a new digital ship register to ease the workload with faster and more efficient workflows for everyone working with the registration of ships in Denmark.
The Digital Ship Register (DSRG) went live on 16 January 2023. The register is expected to contribute to an extra layer of security and control in relation to ship registration.
Concurrently, new legislation on ship registration comes into force. This includes both amendments to the Maritime Act and new executive orders on ship registration.
According to the authority, there will be a single executive order on ship registration for ships domiciled in Denmark and a similar executive order for ships domiciled in Greenland. This means that various maritime law amendments adopted over time since 2006 aimed at digitalization are now coming into force.
Two new executive orders have also been issued on ship registration, one for Denmark and one for Greenland. The merger of the legislation and the updates to it are expected to be a relief for users.
The introduction of digital ship registration entails changes that affect all users of ship registration in Denmark.
The changes affect all registration-based reports notified after 15 January 2023.
“All reports that take place from January 16th, 2023 must therefore be done digitally using MitID in DSRG, unless those who are to sign the digital document cannot obtain MitID, or it is a report that is exempt from the requirement for digital reporting,” Danish Maritime Authority stated.
“Digitalization is a focal point for future shipping. The launch of the digital ship register is a significant initiative in this regard. The digital ship register will get rid of manual paperwork and has great potential for streamlining and reducing the administrative burdens for shipping companies in ship registration and ship trading,” Deputy Director, Niels Peter Fredslund , said.