Merchant Shipping Act 1995 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 2 · Singapore Registry
18. Transfer of ship and registration of bill of sale
Feedback & supportLast amended by an amending law of 2025. 3 amendments in all.
A Singapore ship or any share therein must be transferred by a bill of sale.
Singapore ship
“Singapore ship” means a ship registered, provisionally or otherwise, under Part 2 and its registry is not closed or deemed to be closed or suspended under that Part;
The bill of sale for the transfer of a ship or any share therein to a person qualified to own a Singapore ship must be in the prescribed form and must contain such description of the ship as is contained in the register and must be executed by the transferor in the presence of and be attested by a witness or witnesses.
ship
“ship” means any kind of vessel used in navigation by water, however propelled or moved and includes —(a)a barge, lighter or other floating vessel;(b)an air-cushion vehicle, or other similar craft, used wholly or primarily in navigation by water; and(c)an off-shore industry mobile unit;
Every bill of sale must be produced to the Registrar and the Registrar must thereupon enter in the register the name of the transferee.
Bills of sale must be entered in the register in the order of their production to the Registrar.
The Registrar must not make an entry under this section in respect of any ship if there is —
any unsatisfied mortgage entered in its register, unless, where the ship or any share therein is transferred to a person qualified to own a Singapore ship, the mortgagee has given consent in writing;
any subsisting entry made under section 24 prohibiting any dealing with the ship;
any unpaid fees within the meaning of section 213(4) with respect to the ship; and
any outstanding claim of any crew member of the ship in respect of wages which has been notified to the Director.
Subsection (5) does not apply in respect of a bill of sale executed pursuant to an order of the General Division of the High Court for the sale of a Singapore ship or any share therein.
court
“court”, in relation to any proceedings, includes any court having jurisdiction in the matter to which the proceedings relate;