Red Ensign Group

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The Red Ensign Group is a collaboration of United Kingdom shipping registries including British Overseas Territories and Crown dependencies. It takes its name from the Red Ensign ("Red Duster") flag flown by British civil merchant ships. Its stated purpose is to combine resources to maintain safety and quality across the British fleet. As of 2018 it ranked the ninth largest such group in the world, with approximately 1,300 vessels. [1] Sir Alan Massey of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency commented: ".. keeping [ships] inside the REG family means that you still have some influence over their quality and performance... We can take administrative measures against members of [it] if we want to so as to ensure that safety is brought up to the necessary standards..." [2] The vessels also receive British Consular assistance and protection. [3]

Contents

The Red Ensign Group has two categories:

Category 1

(Ships of any type, length, or tonnage): United Kingdom, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Gibraltar, and the Isle of Man. [4] Bermuda has promoted its status in Category 1 to encourage ship owners "...looking for better flags for their ships..." to register in their country. [5]

Category 2

(Commercial ships and yachts of up to 150 GT, pleasure craft up to 400 GT): Anguilla, Falkland Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, Montserrat, St. Helena, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. [4]

A ship registered in any country within the Red Ensign group is entitled to fly the Red Ensign, or it can choose to fly the Red Ensign defaced with its home port national colors. [7] As an example in 2011 the home port and registry of RMS Queen Mary 2 was changed from Southampton, Great Britain, to Hamilton, Bermuda, a UK overseas territory. [8] Despite the registry change she continues to fly the undefaced Red Ensign rather than the Bermuda Red Ensign. [9]

Vessel registration can also be easily changed from one Group country to another. Once a vessel meets all of the requirements to be registered in one Group country, no other requirements are needed for a change to any other Group country. Only the application papers for the new registry are needed. For example a vessel originally registered in the United Kingdom can be easily changed to the Cayman Islands to lower an operator's tax liability while still being able to fly the Red Ensign. [10] This practice has resulted in criticism from maritime unions who argue that the REG is being used as a Flag of convenience to avoid taxes and use cheap foreign labor. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Ensign</span> British civil ensign

The Red Ensign or "Red Duster" is the civil ensign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It is one of the British ensigns, and it is used either plain or defaced with either a badge or a charge, mostly in the right half.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Overseas Territories</span> Territories under UK sovereignty

The British Overseas Territories (BOTs) are the 14 territories with a constitutional and historical link with the United Kingdom that, while not forming part of the United Kingdom itself, are part of its sovereign territory. The permanently inhabited territories are delegated varying degrees of internal self-governance, with the United Kingdom retaining responsibility for defence, foreign relations, and internal security, and ultimate responsibility for "good" governance. Three of the territories are chiefly or only inhabited by military or scientific personnel, the rest hosting significant civilian populations. All fourteen have the British monarch as head of state. These UK government responsibilities are assigned to various departments of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and are subject to change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)</span> Merchant marine service of the United Kingdom

The British Merchant Navy is the collective name given to British civilian ships and their associated crews, including officers and ratings. In the UK, it is simply referred to as the Merchant Navy or MN. Merchant Navy vessels fly the Red Ensign and the ships and crew are regulated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), a specialist agency of the UK Department of Transport. British merchant ships are registered under the UK or Red Ensign group ship registries. British Merchant Navy deck officers and ratings are certificated and trained according to STCW Convention and the syllabus of the Merchant Navy Training Board in maritime colleges and other training institutes around the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Montserrat</span> British overseas territory flag

The flag of Montserrat consists of a Blue Ensign with the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1960 to supplement the Union Jack after the dissolution of the British Leeward Islands the year before, it has been the flag of Montserrat since the territory was granted self-government that year. The design of the present flag entailed enlarging the coat of arms and outlining it with a white trim. Montserrat's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of Saint Helena</span> British overseas territory flag

The flag of Saint Helena consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the shield from the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1984 shortly after the island was granted a new coat of arms, it has been the flag since. Saint Helena's flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Ensign</span> British state ensign

The Blue Ensign is a British ensign that may be used on vessels by certain authorised yacht clubs, Royal Research Ships and British merchant vessels whose master holds a commission in the Royal Naval Reserve or has otherwise been issued a warrant. Defaced versions with a badge or other emblem are used more broadly; in the United Kingdom by authorised government or private bodies; and internationally by nations or organisations previously a part of the British Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flag of the Cayman Islands</span> British overseas territory flag

The flag of the Cayman Islands consists of a Blue Ensign defaced with the British overseas territory's coat of arms. Adopted in 1959 to supplement the Union Jack and to replace the flag of the Colony of Jamaica, it has been the flag of the Cayman Islands since the territory was granted self-government that year. The design of the present flag entailed removing the white disc and outlining the coat of arms with a white trim, although the previous version is often used in an official capacity. The Cayman Islands' flag is similar to the flags of eight other British Overseas Territories, which are also Blue Ensigns with their respective coats of arms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Belonger status</span> Legal status recognizing close ties to a specific territory

Belonger status is a legal classification normally associated with British Overseas Territories. It refers to people who have close ties to a specific territory, normally by birth or ancestry. The requirements for belonger status, and the rights that it confers, vary from territory to territory.

This overview contains the flags of dependent territories and other areas of special sovereignty.

A civil ensign is an ensign used by civilian vessels to denote their nationality. It can be the same or different from the state ensign and the naval ensign. It is also known as the merchant ensign or merchant flag. Some countries have special civil ensigns for yachts, and even for specific yacht clubs, known as yacht ensigns.

This gallery shows the coat of arms of each of the Dependent territories in the list of countries.

Tax information exchange agreements (TIEA) provide for the exchange of information on request relating to a specific criminal or civil tax investigation or civil tax matters under investigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policies of British Overseas Territories</span> Policies on permits required to enter the British Overseas Territories

The British Overseas Territories maintain their own entry requirements different from the visa policy of the United Kingdom. As a general rule, British citizens do not have automatic right of abode in these territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recognition of same-sex unions in the British Overseas Territories</span>

Among the fourteen British Overseas Territories, eight – Akrotiri and Dhekelia, the British Antarctic Territory, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, the Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands – recognise and perform same-sex marriages. In the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, only British military and civilian personnel can enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships.

A diplomatic flag is a flag used by a sovereign state engaging in diplomacy which is different from the nation's normal national flag. Some nations also have personal flags that are used by their diplomatic representatives, such as the U.S. Foreign Service flags.

Vehicle registration plates, commonly known as number plates, are the mandatory alphanumeric or numeric plates used to display the registration mark of a vehicle.

There are fourteen British Overseas Territories, and three Crown dependencies which are under the sovereignty of the United Kingdom but not part of the United Kingdom itself. Some of these territories have gained membership of international intergovernmental organisations and sports federations. Notably Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands and Montserrat are associate members of UNESCO; Bermuda, British Virgin Islands and Cayman Islands are members of the International Olympic Committee; and Bermuda is a member of the International Paralympic Committee.

References

  1. "Iran tanker seizure: What's so important about a ship's flag?". Reality Check Team. BBC News. 25 July 2019. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  2. "Promoting the UK as a globally competitive location for shipping". UK Parliament House of Commons Select Committees - Transport (26 March 2014). UK Parliament. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  3. "In a Tight Market, Flag States Offer Added Value". The Maritime Executive. August 5, 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 "About the Red Ensign". Red Ensign Group. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  5. Neil, Scott (14 September 2017). "Island delegation seeks shipping business". The Royal Gazette (Bermuda). Archived from the original on 2017-09-17. Retrieved 25 August 2018.
  6. The red ensign, also the national flag, is an appropriate civil ensign for vessels registered on the Bermuda portion of the British Register, by virtue of the Bermuda Merchant Shipping Act of 2002.
  7. "Red Ensign Group". Government Digital Service (UK). Retrieved 6 June 2018.
  8. Drake, Shawn (October 26, 2011). "Queens of Bermuda as Cunard Line Switches Registry". Maritime Matters. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  9. "FAQs - Bermuda Shipping and Maritime Registry" . Retrieved 14 October 2016.
  10. "Benefits of British Flag". 2005-04-30. Archived from the original on 26 June 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  11. "Nautilus Calls for Halt to Abuse of Red Ensign Group Ship Registries". Company of Master Mariners of Australia. Retrieved 27 November 2018.