The Government has corrected a defect in the 2025 light dues regime. The Merchant Shipping (Light Dues) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/234) were made on 4 March 2026, laid before Parliament on 9 March 2026, and come into force on 1 April 2026, according to legislation.gov.uk. The instrument amends the Merchant Shipping (Light Dues) Regulations 2025 (SI 2025/278).
The Regulations extend to England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They are being issued free of charge to all known recipients of SI 2025/278, reflecting their status as a corrective measure noted on the face of the instrument.
A new definition of “registered length” is introduced for consistency across charging provisions. Registered length is the measurement recorded as such on a vessel’s UK certificate of registry issued under regulation 37 of the Merchant Shipping (Registration of Ships) Regulations 1993, or the equivalent figure on a foreign registry certificate. For unregistered vessels, it is the measurement that would be recorded as registered length if the vessel were UK‑registered.
For periodical payments calculated by reference to vessel length, references to “load line length” are replaced with “registered length”. The drafting also swaps “less than” for “not exceeding” to clarify how measurements are rounded to the nearest metre, reducing ambiguity at thresholds where marginal differences can affect the charge band.
Voyage‑based charges increase. From 1 April 2026, the rate is 46 pence per ton with a minimum charge of £60 and a maximum of £23,000. From 1 April 2027, the rate rises to 47 pence per ton with the same £60 minimum and a higher maximum of £23,500. These figures apply to the tonnage of the ship as specified in the principal Regulations.
For operators budgeting costs, the cap is reached at 50,000 tons in both years, meaning larger vessels remain constrained by the maximum. As an illustration, a 40,000‑ton ship would incur £18,400 per voyage from April 2026 and £18,800 from April 2027, while small craft around 120 tons would continue to pay the £60 minimum under either rate.
Schedule 1 exemptions are aligned with the new length concept. Paragraph 5 now uses registered length rather than load line length. In addition, an exemption is simplified to cover vessels “arriving solely for the purpose of moderation, alteration or scrapping”. Claims for exemption will continue to rely on the stated purpose of call and documentary evidence held by masters, agents and port authorities.
In practical terms, shipowners, charterers, and port agents should verify that registry documents clearly state the registered length used for charging. For foreign‑flagged vessels, ensure the equivalent certificate is available on arrival. For unregistered craft, operators should hold measurement evidence consistent with what a UK registration would record.
Entities on periodical payment arrangements should review their vessel lists to confirm the correct length band under the new wording and check any borderline cases affected by the rounding clarification. Finance teams should update billing engines and tariffs ahead of 1 April 2026 and calendar the 1 April 2027 uplift for forward rate cards and customer quotations.
The instrument is signed by the Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State for Transport, Keir Mather. No full impact assessment has been produced, and an Explanatory Memorandum is published alongside the Regulations on legislation.gov.uk. Light dues fund the statutory provision of aids to navigation, and stable application of definitions and rates is intended to support predictable charging for shipping and ports.