Isle Of Man Rebrands Ship Registry

by Jason Gorringe, Tax-News.com, London

01 February 2007

The Isle of Man government has announced the relaunch of the jurisdiction's shipping registry, the Marine Administration, with a new name and freshened-up image to help increase its international profile and allow it to compete more effectively.

The Manx government says that changing the name of the Marine Administration to the 'Isle of Man Ship Registry' will enable it to communicate greater "clarity of message" by describing exactly what the organisation does: the registration of ships and yachts and the technical regulation of, and jurisdiction over, those vessels on the register. The revamp is due to come into effect today (February 1).

The Manx government hopes that another benefit of the name change will be higher visibility on the internet. "Increasing use of internet search engines in business requires organisations to optimise their potential for accurate results when requested in a search," the government stated, adding that: "The new name will enhance the prospects of the Ship Registry being easily indexed and found by potential clients and organisations."

The Marine Administration has traditionally been associated with a variety of images. It has used the Red Ensign with the three legs symbol and the Isle of Man Government crest, either individually or in combination. Whilst the flag will still be flown from the stern of Manx ships and the crest will be used to verify official documentation, the introduction of a new image will present an entirely new identity which is unique to the Isle of Man Ship Registry, the government hopes.

The authorities also believe that the new image will provide the Isle of Man with a readily identifiable and distinct image when exhibiting at marketing and promotional events setting it apart from other British Flags and competitors.

The ship registry has developed rapidly since its introduction as an international register in 1984. The register now boasts over 450 merchant vessels and commercial yachts, representing 9.2 million gross tonnes, with a client base which includes some of the major shipping organisations of the world.

The registry is placed highly in terms of the size of the world’s ship registers and also in terms of quality. The Isle of Man Ship Registry has recently been voted as the ‘best in the world’ by a round table of international shipping industry organisations, who have recently published their annual flag state performance table, which sees the Isle of Man at the top.

Since the introduction of the Ship Registry, the Island has enjoyed steady growth in maritime business. Current levels provide for some 400 full time employees directly involved in shipping and a further estimated 100 indirectly employed in support industries such as legal, financial, insurance and corporate service provision. The Island has now developed into a centre of excellence offering: ship registry; ship management; crewing; legal services; corporate services; tax expertise; accountancy; insurance; ship finance; and commercial yacht management. This provides a significant contribution to the Island’s economy and employment opportunities within an international industry.

Commenting, David Cretney, Minister for Trade and Industry, said:

“I welcome the new name and image and feel certain that this will provide better opportunities for marketing and promotion of the Isle of Man flag and further success for the registry. The recognition that the Ship Registry has achieved as the very best of the world’s ship registers reflects strongly on the international image of the Island as a whole. The value of this should never be underestimated."

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