Vessel Registration & License Management

Law Relating to the Fishing Rights of Foreign Fishing Vessels

What qualifications does the law/regulation give for a vessel to qualify as a local vessel?

  • Article 6

    If any person residing abroad or his agent desires to engage in a fishery in the exclusive economic zone beyond the territorial sea of Myanmar, he shall apply to the Department in the prescribed form. Provided that in exceptional circumstances, he may apply for permission to operate a fishery in other fisheries waters.

What provisions in the law govern the granting, denial, revocation and cancellation of fishing licenses?

  • Article 13

    Summary:

    Anyone seeking a fishing license has to apply to the Department of Fisheries. Licenses can be revoked by if the fishing vessel operator breaches the conditions of their license (including failing to comply with regulations, bye-laws and directions prescribed by the Department of Fisheries), if fishing hasn't started within 3 months of the license being issued, or if the vessel operator transfers their license to someone else.

  • Article 18

    Summary:

    Anyone seeking a fishing license has to apply to the Department of Fisheries. Licenses can be revoked by if the fishing vessel operator breaches the conditions of their license (including failing to comply with regulations, bye-laws and directions prescribed by the Department of Fisheries), if fishing hasn't started within 3 months of the license being issued, or if the vessel operator transfers their license to someone else.

Marine Fisheries Law 1990

What provisions in the law govern the granting, denial, revocation and cancellation of fishing licenses?

  • Article 5

    A person desiring to collect marine products for sale shall apply for a licence to the Officer-in-Charge of the Department of the respective Township in the prescribed application form.” The legislation also requires payment of license fee and registration fee.

Registration of Ships Act

What is the applicable law/regulation for the registration of ships, and does the fisheries legislation have any relevant provisions for registration such as pre-approval?

  • Article 17

    (a) Every ship shall, before registry, be marked permanently and conspicuously to the satisfaction of the registering-officer as follows:- (1) its name shall be marked on each of its bows, and its name and the name of its port of registry shall be marked on its stern, on a dark ground in white or yellow letters or on a light ground in black letters, such letters to be of a length not less than one decimetre and of proportionate breadth; (2) its official number shall be cut in on its main beam; and (3) a scale of decimetres, or of metres and decimetres, denoting its draught of water shall be marked on each side of its stern and of its stern post:- (i) in figures at two-decimetre intervals, if the scale is in decimetres; (ii) in figures at each metre interval and at intervening two-decimetre intervals, if the scale is in metres and decimetres; and (iii) the capital letter “M” being placed after each metre figure; the top figure of the scale showing both the metre and (except where it marks a full metre interval) the decimetre figure; the lower line of figures , or figures and letters (as the case may be),coinciding with the draught line denoted thereby, the figures and letters being not less than one decimetre in length and being marked by being cut in and painted white or yellow on a dark ground, or in such other way as the Director-General of the Department of Marine Administration may approve. (b) The registering-officer may exempt any ship or class of ships from all or any of the requirements of subsection (a).