The Merchant Shipping (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025
These Regulations, made by the Secretary of State for Transport with the consent of the Treasury under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, amend the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018, chiefly by extending their general period of effect by three years until November 2028, while simultaneously terminating the effect of a specific fee entry related to safety communications fees after seven years.
Arguments For
Extends the validity of the existing Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018, ensuring continuity in the fee structure for maritime services.
Provides financial continuity for the administration and oversight functions provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency related to merchant shipping, which is essential for maintaining safety standards.
The targeted postponement of the expiry for one specific fee entry (Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards of Safety Communications) Regulations 1997) suggests a necessary targeted review or change in the underlying requirement, optimizing administrative focus.
Arguments Against
Extends the application of fees without requiring a full impact assessment, which may obscure minor costs imposed on the shipping industry.
Modifies the expiry date of regulations, which can introduce minor administrative uncertainty regarding the long-term planning assumptions for shipping companies reliant on these fees.
The structure relies on making amendments to an existing statutory instrument, which can sometimes obscure the precise current fee obligations compared to a consolidated instrument.
The Secretary of State, in exercise of the powers conferred by section 302(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, and with the consent of the Treasury, makes the following Regulations.
The Secretary of State enacts these Regulations using powers granted under section 302(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
The Treasury also provided consent for the making of these statutory rules.
Citation, commencement and extent
1.
(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Merchant Shipping (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and come into force on 11th November 2025.
(2) These Regulations extend to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
These rules are formally titled the Merchant Shipping (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 and become law on November 11th, 2025.
The legislation applies across the entirety of the United Kingdom, covering England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
Amendment of Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018
2.
(1) The Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 are amended as follows.
(2) For regulation 1(2) (citation, commencement and expiry) of the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018, substitute—
“(2) Subject to paragraph (3), these Regulations cease to have effect at the end of the period of ten years beginning with the day on which these Regulations come into force.
(3) These Regulations, so far as they relate to the entry for the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards of Safety Communications) Regulations 1997 in Schedule 1, in Part 1, in the table in paragraph 5, in section A, fourth row, cease to have effect at the end of the period of seven years beginning with the day on which these Regulations come into force.”.
The primary action involves altering the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018.
Specifically, the substitute text for regulation 1(2) specifies that the 2018 Regulations will generally expire ten years after they began.
However, this process is modified for one specific fee—the one related to Maritime Safety Communications—which will cease to apply after only seven years from the original commencement date.
Explanatory Note (This note is not part of the Regulations)
These Regulations amend the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 (“the Fees Regulations”).
Regulation 2(2) amends the Fees Regulations generally to extend their application by a further three years until 12th November 2028, except in relation to a fee which is now otiose.
A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen. An Explanatory Memorandum is published alongside this instrument on www.legislation.gov.uk.
This note confirms the purpose is to modify the 2018 Fees Regulations.
The amendment effectively extends the general lifespan of the 2018 Regulations by three extra years, meaning they will now expire in November 2028.
The note clarifies that a full impact assessment was deemed unnecessary because negligible or no impact is expected on the private, voluntary, or public sectors.
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