The Department for Transport has extended the life of the Merchant Shipping (Fees) Regulations 2018 by three years. The Merchant Shipping (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. 2025/1103) were made on 16 October 2025, laid before Parliament on 20 October 2025, and come into force on 11 November 2025. The change prevents the 2018 regime from expiring this November, maintaining continuity for users of Maritime and Coastguard Agency services.
Legally, the amendment replaces regulation 1(2) of the 2018 Regulations so that, in general, they cease to have effect ten years after commencement rather than seven. As the 2018 Regulations commenced on 13 November 2018, the new sunset date is 12 November 2028. The instrument does not alter fee levels or charging structures; it solely extends the period during which the existing framework applies.
One entry is expressly excluded from the extension. The amendment preserves a seven‑year limit for the entry in Schedule 1, Part 1, paragraph 5, section A, fourth row, which relates to the Merchant Shipping (Minimum Standards of Safety Communications) Regulations 1997 (S.I. 1997/529). The explanatory note describes the associated fee as “otiose”, so that line will fall away on 12 November 2025 without replacement.
In practical terms, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s ability to charge for services under the 2018 framework-covering inspections, surveys, certificates and other statutory services listed across Schedule 1-continues unchanged through to 2028. Applicants using premium or out‑of‑hours services remain subject to the existing charging basis set when the 2018 Regulations took effect.
The instrument applies across the United Kingdom. It is made under section 302(1) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, signed for the Department for Transport by Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State Keir Mather on 16 October 2025, with Treasury consent provided by Lords Commissioners Taiwo Owatemi and Christian Wakeford on 13 October 2025.
For shipowners, managers, agents and surveyors, the immediate message is continuity. Planned surveys, certificate renewals and registrations can be budgeted against the current schedule beyond 12 November 2025. Operators who previously relied on services linked to the 1997 safety communications regime should note that the specific fee entry lapses this November.
The Department for Transport indicates that no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is expected and no full impact assessment accompanies the instrument. An Explanatory Memorandum is published alongside the regulations on legislation.gov.uk, with the 2018 Regulations remaining the primary reference for detailed fee lines.