Russian Shipping Regulation

Russian Maritime Register of Shipping

The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping (Rossiysky Morskoy Registr Sudokhodstva, RMRS) is the technical classification society and statutory certification body for the Russian merchant fleet, established in 1913 and operating under the jurisdiction of the Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport (Rosmorrechflot). The RMRS functions include: (1) classification of vessels — assigning class notation based on compliance with RMRS Rules for the Design, Equipment, and Maintenance of Ships; (2) statutory surveys — conducting mandatory inspections under international conventions to which Russia is party, including SOLAS, MARPOL, and the Load Lines Convention; (3) certification of materials and equipment for shipbuilding; and (4) development and maintenance of the Rules of the RMRS, which are updated annually to incorporate technological developments and amendments to international conventions.

The RMRS Rules are recognised by the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS), of which RMRS is a full member. The Rules cover hull structure, machinery, electrical installations, fire protection, stability, and load lines, and include specific requirements for ice-class vessels (arktichesky klass), reflecting Russia’s focus on Arctic shipping. RMRS class notation systems include Ice Arc (for vessels capable of independent navigation in Arctic ice conditions) and Ice Voyage (for vessels operating under icebreaker escort). The RMRS maintains regional offices in major Russian ports and representative offices abroad, including in China, Turkey, and the UAE. Shipowners may also use classification services from other IACS members for vessels under the Russian flag, subject to RMRS recognition of the relevant class.

Flag Registration

Vessel registration under the Russian flag is governed by the Merchant Shipping Code of the Russian Federation (KTM RF, Federal Law No. 81-FZ of 30 April 1999). The Code establishes the State Ship Register (Gosudarstvenny Sudovoy Reestr), maintained by port captains (kapitan morskogo porta) under Rosmorrechflot. Vessels of 20 gross tonnes and above engaged in international voyages must be registered in the State Ship Register. Smaller vessels and vessels used for inland navigation are registered in the Ship Book (Sudovaya Kniga) or the Russian International Register of Ships (Rossiysky Mezhdunarodny Reestr Sudov, RIRS), established in 2005.

The RIRS offers an alternative flag registration regime designed to attract Russian-owned vessels currently under foreign flags. Benefits include: (1) reduced tonnage tax rates — a fixed annual fee based on net tonnage, significantly lower than the general registration tax; (2) exemption from import customs duties and VAT for vessels built abroad and registered in the RIRS; (3) simplified crew nationality requirements — senior officers must be Russian citizens, but the remainder of the crew may be foreign; and (4) exemption from corporate profits tax on income from international shipping. Eligibility requires that the vessel be owned by a Russian legal entity or an individual who is a Russian citizen.

The Russian Open Register (Rossiysky Otkryty Reestr, ROR) was established in 2023 to further incentivise flagging-in. It permits foreign-owned vessels to fly the Russian flag where the vessel is bareboat chartered to a Russian operator and the charter party is for at least two years. The ROR regime is designed to expand the Russian-controlled fleet without requiring Russian ownership and has attracted vessels from shipping companies in Turkey, China, and India.

Vessel Safety and Port State Control

The Federal Service for Transport Supervision (Rostransnadzor) exercises regulatory oversight over maritime safety, including port state control (PSC) inspections under the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control and the Tokyo MOU. Russian PSC inspectors conduct inspections of foreign-flagged vessels calling at Russian ports to verify compliance with SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, and MLC 2006 requirements. Vessels with deficiencies may be detained until corrective action is taken. Russia also participates in the regional PSC regime under the Black Sea MOU.

The 2022 moratorium on inspections of Russian-flagged vessels by foreign port state control authorities, introduced by the Paris MOU and Tokyo MOU as part of sanctions measures, has significantly affected the operational environment for Russian shipping. The moratorium does not relieve vessels from compliance obligations but has led to heightened scrutiny of Russian-linked vessels in certain jurisdictions. Russia has responded by expanding its own PSC capacity and by entering into bilateral inspection recognition agreements with friendly states, including China, India, and Brazil.

Shipping Liability and Insurance

The KTM RF codifies the legal regime for shipping liability, implementing the International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage (CLC 1992) and the International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compensation for Oil Pollution Damage (Fund Convention 1992). The Code establishes strict liability for tanker owners for pollution damage, subject to limits of liability per incident calculated in accordance with the Convention limits. The Russian Maritime Register of Shipping is designated as the authority for issuing certificates of insurance or other financial security required by the CLC.

The limitation of liability for general maritime claims (Article 360 KTM RF) follows the 1976 Convention on Limitation of Liability for Maritime Claims (LLMC 1976) as amended by the 1996 Protocol, with higher limits for passenger claims. Shipowner liability may be limited by the vessel’s tonnage, except where the loss resulted from the owner’s personal act or omission committed with intent to cause such loss, or recklessly and with knowledge that such loss would probably result.

Shipbuilding Regulation

Russian shipbuilding regulation is governed by the Federal Law on Shipbuilding Industry (No. 236-FZ of 29 December 2022) and the State Programme for the Development of Shipbuilding (2013–2030). The Law establishes requirements for design organisations, shipyards, and equipment manufacturers, including: mandatory certification of welding and materials; compliance with RMRS Rules for new construction; and licensing of shipyard activities by Rosmorrechflot. The United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC), a state-owned holding company controlling approximately 80% of Russian shipbuilding capacity, operates shipyards including Sevmash (Severodvinsk), Baltic Shipyard (St Petersburg), and Zvezda (Bolshoy Kamen).

State support for shipbuilding includes: subsidised loans for vessel construction under Resolution No. 1537 of 2020; investment subsidies of up to 20% of construction costs for vessels built at Russian shipyards and registered in the RIRS; and tax incentives for shipyards in the Far East, including reduced social insurance contributions and accelerated depreciation. The Cluster for Maritime Technologies at Skolkovo supports innovation in ship design, maritime digitalisation, and autonomous vessel technology. Priority areas include LNG carrier construction, ice-class tanker design, and small-tonnage passenger vessels for domestic routes.