Shipping 2026

ANGOLA Trends and Developments Contributed by: José Miguel Oliveira, António Caxito Marques, Caio de Mello Ferreira and João Saiago Canjeque, VdA

inspections under the Abuja MoU framework in 2025, and it only met its financial contribution in 2012. It is noteworthy that, in the second quarter of 2025, Ango - la conducted inspections on three vessels, as per the data presented in the Abuja MoU meeting. Addressing the IMSAS findings will strengthen Ango - la’s maritime governance and support fulfilment of its obligations under the Abuja MoU. Angola’s principal objectives are to address incidents involving foreign vessels in its maritime domain, to achieve the 15% inspection commitment for ships calling at its ports, to enhance human capacity development (with par - ticular emphasis on the training and retraining of Port State Control Officers (PSCOs)), to develop harmo - nised Port State procedures across Abuja MoU mem - ber states, and to ratify and/or incorporate all relevant IMO instruments into domestic law. In support of improved Port State Control practices, the AMN convened a technical workshop addressing PSCO obligations before, during and after inspections of foreign vessels. Overall, 2025 was a year of restructuring for Angola in respect of its obligations under the IMO instruments. It is expected that the number of inspections of foreign vessels will increase in the coming year, alongside a more robust maritime legal framework to address out - standing IMO instruments, whether by ratification or incorporation into domestic law. Legislative Developments In 2025, Angola’s Maritime Law experienced several significant developments especially as regards the new AMN fees applicable to the operators in the mari - time space of Angola. The new Joint Executive Decree No 05/25 (“AMN Fees Framework”) establishes a new legal regime govern - ing fees and charges levied by the AMN on services provided to “ship operators”. The AMN Fees Frame - work overhauls the previous system governing pay - ments for AMN services. Its scope is wide-ranging, covering all entities that benefit from AMN services, including (i) public, private and mixed entities, as well as (ii) national and foreign vessels, platforms and other floating craft involved in maritime commerce, fishing,

extractive industries, scientific research or recreation - al activities within waters under Angolan jurisdiction. Among the key modifications, one may note the fol - lowing. • Under the previous regime, fees did not differenti - ate between oil and gas sector activities and other maritime activities. The new framework introduces a clear distinction between these sectors. • While previous fees were generally assessed by reference to the Tax Correction Unit (UCF – Uni- dade de Correcção Fiscal ) [1 UCF = AOA88.00], the current framework expresses fees in “round figures” (all in kwanzas). • The new regime introduces additional layers of fees, either by creating entirely new fees/tariffs or by segmenting those that were previously grouped. This stratification considers various factors, includ - ing the gross tonnage, the nature of the services provided, the personnel involved, the type of operator, and the time taken to deliver a service/ time that a vessel remains in Angola. As a general trend, we could note a significant increase in the amount of the fees applicable to AMN services, mainly due to: • the shift from UCF-based pricing to kwanza-based pricing; • the increase in the number of fees/tariffs; and • the stratification of pre-existing fees. However, there remains a certain ambiguity regarding the liable party (passive subject) in certain legal-tax relationships established under the new regime. Given the novelty of this statute, there are still several provisions whose applicability remains unclear to the industry in general. In this regard, on 29 August 2025, the AMN carried out a workshop on the implementa - tion of the AMN Fees Framework. The presentation comprised a number of technical operators from the AMN and some industry representatives, including stakeholders from the oil and gas industry, shipping agents, stevedores, cabotage operators and others.

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