A new-look British Ship Register was launched by Shipping Minister Stephen Ladyman at the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, last week. The re-launch follows a complete review of customer service provided by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The former UK Register has been renamed the UK Ship Register, but Dr Ladyman stressed that this is ‘much more than a re-branding exercise. It is real change that brings together all stages of the registration process into one unit.’

The body, under its new name will continue to deal with registrations of UK ships under Part I or Small Ships Register (Part III). It is hoped that the changes will enable better customer care and communication, as well as making online registration faster and more simple. Major changes being introduced include:

* Dedicated Customer Account Managers to provide on-going customer care with focused assistance throughout and after registration
* 24-hour assistance
* A new interactive website [ http://www.ukshipregister.co.uk ]
* On-line registration, where customers will be just ‘two clicks’ away from the start of the registration process.

For further information on the changes to take place, see www.ukshipregister.co.uk