The Merchant Shipping Act 1995 (s.77) (MSA 1995) requires UK Flagged ships to carry an official log book (OLB), except for:
- A ship belonging to a general lighthouse authority;
- A ship of less than 25 gross tons; or
- A pleasure yacht (private use)
Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) official log books are provided free of charge to UK registered vessels and can be provided on a case-by-case basis to vessels registered with other Red Ensign Group (REG) member registers.
Revision of MCA official log books
The MCA is currently reviewing its official log books. To prevent excess amounts of OLBs circulating that may become out of date soon, we can only provide two OLBs per eligible vessel at this time. This does not apply to different types of OLBs, for example if you require both passenger and merchant OLBs you can order two of each per vessel.
We thank you for your understanding with this matter.
How to order MCA official log books (OLBs)
To order MCA official log books please email uksr@mcga.gov.uk with the following information:
- UK registered vessel name, Official Number, and IMO number. You can request log books for multiple vessels at the same time
- Log book type required (Part 1 Merchant, Passenger, or Fishing vessel)
- Quantity of log books required
- Address to send the OLBs to, in the following format:
Name (of the person receiving the OLBs):
Organisation:
Address Line 1:
Address Line 2:
Address Line 3:
Town/City:
Postcode:
Country:
For orders destined for Europe please include contact details for the person receiving the OLBs and the EORI Number.
Returning completed official log books
Official log books should be sent to the Registry of Shipping and Seamen for storage. Please send completed or closed OLBs to:
UK Ship Register
Maritime and Coastguard Agency
Anchor Court
Keen Road
Cardiff
CF24 5JW
GMDSS, garbage and oil record log books
GMDSS log books, garbage log books, and oil record books are available to purchase from the TSO Shop.
Engine and deck log books
Engine and deck log books are available from ship chandlers and chart agents.
Regulations
The Merchant Shipping (Official Log Books) Regulations 1981 specify:
- The particulars to be entered in official log books or annexes to them;
- The persons who should make, sign and witness such entries;
- The manner; the time of making them and the provision for their amendment or cancellation;
- And the manner, times and circumstances for the production and delivery of official log books to the appropriate superintendent or proper officer
The official log book contains pages for each type of entry required which ensures that the entries are completed in a way that complies with the regulations.
Further information is available through Statutory Instruments (Official Log Books) Regulations.
