Summary
- Who it is: the St Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry (SKANReg) runs the flag for international ships and the seafarers who crew them.
- Where it is: the head office is in Grays, Essex, UK, not in Basseterre. More than 60 Maritime Registrars worldwide process applications locally, including in Dubai.
- What it issues to seafarers: a Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC), which is the St Kitts seaman book, and a Certificate of Endorsement (CoE), which recognises your home Certificate of Competency.
- Legal basis: the Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 7.05) and regulations made under it, including CDC Regulations issued in 2024.
- Verification: every St Kitts CDC and CoE can be checked through SKANReg’s official verification routes.
- Fees and processing times: SKANReg does not publish them on its public pages.
If you have been offered a job on a St Kitts & Nevis-flagged vessel, the “St Kitts maritime authority” you will deal with is SKANReg. It is the body that registers the ship, issues your seafarer documents and decides whether your home certificates are recognised. Knowing how it works helps you get your paperwork right first time and spot offers that don’t add up.
What is the St Kitts & Nevis maritime authority?
Definition: The St Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry (SKANReg) is the flag administration that registers merchant ships, yachts and fishing vessels under the St Kitts & Nevis flag. It issues and verifies the documents seafarers need to serve on those ships. It began operating in 2005 and works under a legal system based on English law (SKANReg, About the Registry).
SKANReg is an open registry: shipowners do not need to be based in St Kitts & Nevis to fly its flag. By the end of 2024 it had registered more than 4,500 vessels, with over 7.2 million tons on the register. It says it has issued seafarer documents to more than 55,000 seafarers of many nationalities (SKANReg).
Flag state, not port state
SKANReg acts as a flag state. It is responsible for ships on its register wherever they sail. It does not control which ships enter St Kitts’ ports. That is a port-state function, a distinction explained in flag state vs port state.
Who runs it, and where it is based
| Item | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Head office | The Old Courthouse, Orsett Road, Grays, Essex RM17 5DD, UK | SKANReg Contact |
| Senior official | International Registrar of Shipping & Seamen (currently Mrs Gail Stoll) | SKANReg, Meet the Team |
| Local processing | A network of more than 60 Maritime Registrars, including Dubai (UAE) and Cochin (India) | SKANReg, Maritime Registrars |
| Phone / email | +44 (0)1708 380400 · enquiries@skanregistry.com · 24-hour helpline +44 (0)7366 145318 | SKANReg Contact |
The UK office surprises many first-time applicants, but it is normal for an open registry. Maritime Registrars help the registry process applications. When the International Registrar authorises them, they can issue documents themselves. Only registrars have log-ins to the registry’s online database. Everyone else applies by email and courier (SKANReg, CoE & CDC Procedures).
The law behind the flag
SKANReg’s authority comes from St Kitts & Nevis legislation. Its Shipping Legislation page lists the instruments that matter most to seafarers:
- Merchant Shipping Act (Cap. 7.05) and the Merchant Shipping (Amendments) Act 2005. The Act is also the basis for fines in fraud cases.
- STCW regulations: SRO 17 of 2012 (training and certification), SRO 16 of 2012 (medical examination) and SRO 39 of 2014 (training, certification, safe manning, hours of work and watchkeeping).
- Merchant Shipping (CDC) Regulations, 2024, which govern the seaman book.
- MLC regulations: the Merchant Shipping (Maritime Labour Convention, 2006) Regulations 2013, amended in 2014 (SKANReg, MLC).
These regulations give effect to the IMO’s STCW Convention and the ILO’s Maritime Labour Convention, 2006. [needs source: St Kitts & Nevis MLC ratification date from ILO NORMLEX; see blocker B2]
Which documents does SKANReg issue to seafarers?
| Document | What it is | Who needs it |
|---|---|---|
| Continuous Discharge Certificate (CDC) | The St Kitts seaman book. It identifies you and records endorsements, training, qualifications and sea service | Every seafarer serving on a St Kitts & Nevis vessel, including ratings such as cooks, pursers and carpenters, and crew on fishing vessels |
| Certificate of Endorsement (CoE) | Recognises a Certificate of Competency issued by another STCW Party, under STCW Regulation I/10 | Officers and other certificated roles. You must hold or have applied for a St Kitts CDC first |
| Ship Security Officer endorsement | Covers the SSO function | Seafarers appointed SSO |
Source: SKANReg, CoE & CDC Procedures and Seafarers menu.
A CoE never outlasts the certificate it recognises. It expires on the same date as your home CoC, up to a maximum of five years. If your home administration reissues the CoC with a new serial number, St Kitts treats the endorsement as a new application.
For the step-by-step application, forms and document checklist, see our St Kitts & Nevis seaman book requirements guide.
How recognition works: STCW Regulation I/10 in plain English
St Kitts & Nevis does not retrain or re-examine officers. It recognises competency certificates issued by other countries, as STCW Regulation I/10 allows. Two rules decide whether that works for you:
- Your country must be an STCW Party. Certificates from non-Party administrations are not recognised.
- SKANReg verifies with your home administration before it issues anything. It issues a CoE only after it has confirmed the documents are authentic.
SKANReg lists signed I/10 agreements with 16 administrations: Bangladesh, Belize, China, Denmark, Dominica, Ethiopia, Georgia, Germany, Honduras, Indonesia, Italy, Jamaica, Latvia, Pakistan, Panama and the Philippines (SKANReg, STCW). Indian seafarers must supply their INDoS number, which SKANReg uses to check Indian CoCs online.
The penalty for false documents
If your home administration reports that a document is not genuine, you are barred from any St Kitts & Nevis certificate or endorsement for 10 years from the application date. SKANReg notifies the IMO of the ban, and a conviction can bring fines under the Merchant Shipping Act. Fees are not refunded when incorrect documents are submitted (SKANReg). Our guide to spotting seaman book scams covers the warning signs.
How to verify a St Kitts seaman book or CoE
Before you rely on a document, or if you are a crewing manager checking one, use the route that matches the document control number (SKANReg, Certificate Verification):
| Control number starts with | Where to check |
|---|---|
| SKAN_SEN or SKAN_SDB | portal.skanregistry.com/certificate_validators/new. Enter the control number, the seafarer’s name and date of birth |
| END or SKN 090 | sknseafarers.com → “Seafarer Verification” |
| Not sure | Email enquiries@skanregistry.com |
If a document does not appear in the official channel, treat it as unverified, whoever supplied it. See also how to verify a seaman book online.
Is St Kitts & Nevis a good flag for seafarers?
That depends on the job you are offered, not on the flag in the abstract. St Kitts is a mid-sized open registry. It is useful when your vessel is already St Kitts-flagged, and it has registrars close to major crewing hubs. It is less established than the largest registries.
| St Kitts & Nevis | Panama | Liberia | Bahamas | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Administration | SKANReg (HQ: UK) | Panama Maritime Authority | Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry | Bahamas Maritime Authority |
| Fleet scale | 4,500+ vessels (end 2024) | ~7,700 Vessels (As of 2026) | 6,138 Vessels ( As of 2026) | ~1,500+ Vessels (As of 2026) |
| Seaman book name | CDC/SIRB (Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book) | Panamanian Seaman’s Book | Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book (SIRB) | Seaman’s Record Book (SRB) |
| Public seafarer fee schedule | Not published | Updating Soon | Updating Soon | Updating Soon |
Port State Control performance: to see how the St Kitts flag currently performs, check the latest White-Grey-Black list from the Paris MoU and the Tokyo MoU. [needs source: current Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU list position, and year; see blocker B3]
For a wider comparison, see our top 10 flag states for seafarers.
Three misconceptions
“The authority is in St Kitts, so I have to go there.” No. The registry’s head office is in the UK, and applications go through a Maritime Registrar or directly to SKANReg by email and courier.
“A St Kitts seaman book lets me sail as an officer.” No. The CDC records your service. To serve in an officer or other certificated role you also need a CoE recognising your home CoC.
“Any agent can issue it.” No. Only SKANReg and the registrars it authorises can issue St Kitts documents. A consultancy can prepare and check your application, but it cannot issue the document.
Frequently asked questions: St Kitts Maritime Authority
Who is the maritime authority for St Kitts and Nevis?
For international ships and their crews, the flag administration is the St Kitts & Nevis International Ship Registry (SKANReg). It registers vessels, issues the seafarer’s Continuous Discharge Certificate and Certificates of Endorsement, and verifies those documents. Its head office is in Grays, Essex, UK, and it has more than 60 Maritime Registrars worldwide.
Where is the St Kitts ship registry located?
SKANReg’s head office is at The Old Courthouse, Orsett Road, Grays, Essex, UK. Applications can also be processed through its worldwide network of Maritime Registrars. The network includes offices in Dubai, Cochin, Singapore, Piraeus, Istanbul and Miami, so most seafarers never need to deal with the UK office in person.
What is a St Kitts and Nevis CDC?
The Continuous Discharge Certificate is the St Kitts seaman book. It identifies the seafarer and records endorsements, training, qualifications and sea service. Everyone serving on a St Kitts & Nevis-flagged vessel needs one, and crew on fishing vessels need one even when STCW-F endorsements are not required.
Do I need a St Kitts CoE if I already have a CoC?
Yes, if you serve in a certificated role on a St Kitts ship. The Certificate of Endorsement recognises your home Certificate of Competency under STCW Regulation I/10. It expires with your CoC, up to a maximum of five years. You must hold or have applied for a St Kitts CDC first.
How do I check whether a St Kitts seaman book is genuine?
Use SKANReg’s official verification. Documents numbered SKAN_SEN or SKAN_SDB are checked on the SKANReg portal with the control number, name and date of birth. Documents numbered END or SKN 090 are checked at sknseafarers.com. For anything else, email enquiries@skanregistry.com.
How much does a St Kitts seaman book cost, and how long does it take?
SKANReg does not publish a seafarer fee schedule or a standard processing time on its public pages. Fees are invoiced through its payment process. Timing depends on how complete your application is and how quickly your home administration confirms your certificates.
Where Seaman Books fits
Seaman Books is a documentation consultancy, not a registrar. We prepare St Kitts & Nevis CDC and CoE applications, check them against SKANReg’s requirements before submission, and follow up until the document is issued. → St Kitts & Nevis seaman book service · Check your eligibility
The bottom line
The St Kitts maritime authority that seafarers deal with is SKANReg. It is a UK-headquartered open registry, operating under St Kitts & Nevis law, with more than 60 registrars worldwide. It issues two core documents: the CDC (your seaman book) and the CoE (recognition of your home CoC). It verifies both with your home administration and bans anyone who submits false papers for 10 years. Before you apply, confirm the vessel is St Kitts-flagged and that your CoC comes from an STCW Party. Then follow the application guide.
