DENMARK Law and Practice Contributed by: Johannes Grove Nielsen and Camilla Søgaard Hudson, Bech-Bruun
1.3 Domestic Legislation Applicable to Ship Registration The Danish ship registers are handled by the Danish Maritime Authority, and Chapters 2 and 2(d) of the Danish Merchant Shipping Act con - tain the Danish rules on ship registration. In Denmark, there are two different ship regis - tries: • a national registry for Danish-owned tonnage (the Register of Shipping; DAS); and • an international registry for ships engaged in foreign trade (the Danish International Regis - ter of Shipping; DIS). Danish vessels with a gross tonnage of 20 GT or higher are obliged to register in the DAS or the DIS. Danish vessels with a tonnage of between 5 GT and 20 GT have a right to register in the DAS, but cannot be registered in the DIS. Fur - thermore, warships, fishing vessels, boulder fishing vessels and recreational crafts cannot be registered in the DIS. A ship registered in the DIS that is engaged in regular services between Danish ports may not carry passengers. A vessel registered in the DAS or the DIS flies the Danish flag. Newbuilds can be registered in the DAS if the build is at a stage where it can be sufficiently identified, and if it is estimated to be at least 5 GT in size. 1.4 Requirements for Ownership of Vessels For a ship to be registered in the DIS or the DAS, it is a requirement that economic activity in Den - mark be carried out in one of three ways: • the ship’s technical or commercial operations are handled from Denmark;
where in late 2023 Denmark was re-elected to the council. The Danish Maritime Authority may detain a ship if the ship’s continued sailing constitutes a dan - ger owing to faults or deficiencies in the hull, machinery, safety equipment, location of ballast and cargo or manning, or for other reasons asso - ciated with danger to the safety of occupants or danger of pollution. In the event of a grounding in Danish territorial waters or within the Danish exclusive economic zone, the Master of the vessel must report the grounding to the Danish Maritime Authority. The registered owner of a vessel flying the Dan - ish flag has a duty to ensure that the wreck is removed. With regard to pollution, the Danish Maritime Authority co-operates with the Danish Envi - ronmental Agency. Thus, the Danish Maritime Authority performs port state control of adher - ence to regulations concerning sulphur emis - sion. The Danish Maritime Authority’s findings are reported to the Danish Environmental Agen - cy for consideration. The Danish Environmen - tal Agency will also decide whether to report a breach to the Danish police for further investiga - tion and possible criminal charges. The Master of the ship must report occupational accidents and cases of poisoning to the Danish Maritime Authority that have occurred on board the ship if: • the accident or poisoning has resulted in incapacity for work for one day or more beyond the day of injury; or • the injured person has been unable to per - form their usual work for one day or more beyond the day of injury.
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