# The Merchant Shipping (Port State Control) Regulations 2026, Regulation 9: Notification of the arrival of ships


(1) Where an expanded inspection of a ship is or may be required in accordance with regulation 8, the owner or master of the ship is required to give advance notice to the Secretary of State of the arrival of the ship into a port or anchorage in the United Kingdom in accordance with the requirements in paragraphs (2) and (3).
(2) The minimum notice period for the purposes of paragraph (1) is—
(a) 72 hours in advance of the ship’s expected arrival at the relevant port or anchorage, or
(b) as soon as this information is available where—
(i) the voyage to the port or anchorage is expected to take less than 72 hours at the time the ship leaves the previous port or anchorage, or
(ii) the port of call is not known or it is changed during the voyage.
(3) A notice provided for the purposes of paragraph (1) must include information about the—
(a) ship’s identification such as—
(i) the mandatory IMO number and additional name,
(ii) the call sign or a unique nine-digit maritime mobile service identity number, or both, that may have been issued in respect of a ship by the appropriate authority of the flag State, and
(b) the information referred to in paragraph 2(b) - (i) of Annex 12 of the Paris MOU.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukdsi/2026/9780348280098/regulation/9 (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/draft-merchant-shipping-port-state-control-regulations-2026/regulation-9
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.