For legal, financial & compliance professionals
Establishing registered ownership, tracing maritime mortgages and encumbrances, and identifying the natural person behind a corporate owner are tasks that require direct access to ship registers across multiple jurisdictions. We do this quickly, discreetly, and through official channels.
Ownership is not always what it appears to be
A vessel may be registered in the name of a company incorporated in one jurisdiction, with a flag state in another, sailing in waters of a third. The registered owner on paper may be several layers removed from the person who actually controls and benefits from the vessel.
This matters in a range of professional contexts. A lawyer pursuing a claim needs to know who to serve. A broker needs to confirm that the seller has the right to sell and that the vessel is free of encumbrances. A bank needs to understand the security position before financing. A compliance officer needs to identify the Ultimate Beneficial Owner for KYC purposes.
Ship registers are official public records, but accessing them across different jurisdictions is not straightforward. Each flag state has its own procedures, its own language, and its own degree of accessibility. Lorrendraaier has direct working relationships with the registers of all major European flag states and can retrieve what is needed efficiently, without the months of correspondence that a cold approach would involve.
What we can establish
- The registered owner – individual or company – and their details as recorded in the flag state register
- Any maritime mortgages registered against the vessel
- Any other encumbrances, charges, or liens recorded in the register
- The flag state, registration number, and current registration status
- Where the owner is a company, the corporate structure and, where accessible, the UBO
- Historical ownership changes recorded in the register where relevant
- Location and contact details for the registered owner where these can be established
Three layers of ownership information
A full ownership picture typically requires three separate but related enquiries. We can conduct one, two, or all three depending on what you need.
Registered owner and vessel status
The starting point is the ship’s register of the vessel’s flag state. This gives the name and details of the registered owner, the vessel’s registration number, its current registration status, and any conditions attached to the registration.
In most cases this requires knowing the vessel’s flag state, which is often visible from the flag flown or the registration number format. Where the flag state is unknown, we can work from vessel name, CIN/HIN number, vessel type, or approximate location to identify it.
Maritime mortgages and encumbrances
Most European ship registers record not only ownership but also financial charges registered against the vessel, maritime mortgages, preferential rights, and other encumbrances. These are recorded in the same register as the ownership entry and retrieved as part of the same search.
For any transaction involving a vessel – purchase, financing, or chartering under a long-term agreement – establishing whether the vessel carries any encumbrances is standard due diligence. A vessel sold with an undisclosed mortgage creates significant legal and financial exposure for the buyer.
Ultimate Beneficial Owner (UBO)
When the registered owner is a company rather than an individual, the identity of the natural person or persons who ultimately own or control that company is often what matters. This is the UBO, the Ultimate Beneficial Owner.
Identifying the UBO requires going beyond the ship’s register into company registry records, shareholding information, and where ownership passes through multiple layers of holding companies across jurisdictions, a structured chain of corporate analysis. We establish what is accessible through official channels and advise on the limits of what can be determined where information is not publicly recorded.
All ownership research is conducted through official, publicly accessible sources, ship registers, company registries, and other statutory records. We do not use private investigation methods or access non-public data. Personal data retrieved in the course of a search is handled in strict accordance with GDPR and shared only with the instructing party.
We ask all instructing parties to confirm that the enquiry is being made for a legitimate professional purpose. We do not conduct searches for private individuals seeking information about third parties without a clear and lawful basis.
Who uses this service?
Ownership research is used across a wide range of professional contexts. These are the situations we most commonly encounter.
Maritime lawyers
Identifying the correct legal owner of a vessel in order to initiate proceedings, serve documents, or pursue a claim. Also used to establish whether a vessel is encumbered before advising a client on acquisition.
Yacht brokers
Confirming that the seller is the registered owner, that the vessel is free of mortgages or encumbrances, and that the registration details match the documentation presented. Standard pre-sale due diligence.
Insurance companies
Claims investigation requiring confirmation of registered ownership, vessel status at the time of an incident, or identification of additional parties with a financial interest in the vessel.
Banks and lenders
Security checks prior to lending against a vessel, or monitoring the registered position of a vessel already held as security. Includes confirmation that no prior mortgage exists that would affect the lender’s security position.
Marinas and harbours
Identifying the owner of a vessel with unpaid berth fees, abandoned at a marina, or where contact with the owner has been lost. Also relevant where a vessel has been left without authorisation.
Compliance and AML professionals
KYC and AML checks requiring identification of the Ultimate Beneficial Owner behind a company-owned vessel, particularly where ownership passes through holding structures across multiple jurisdictions.
Surveyors and valuers
Confirming registration status, flag state, and ownership details as part of a pre-purchase or insurance survey report. Registration information is often required to complete a survey file.
Port state and enforcement authorities
Establishing ownership and registration status of a vessel subject to enforcement action, detention, or investigation. Cross-border vessel identification where the flag state is uncertain.
How an ownership enquiry works
We keep the process efficient and the communication direct. Most standard enquiries are turned around within a few working days.
Brief us on the vessel and your objective
Tell us what you know about the vessel – name, registration number, CIN/HIN, flag state, type, or location – and what you are trying to establish. We assess what is achievable and confirm the scope before work begins.
Register research
We access the relevant ship register, and where needed, the company registry, through our direct relationships with the relevant authorities. Where a UBO search is required, we map the corporate structure layer by layer.
Findings reported
We report the findings clearly – registered owner, encumbrances, UBO where identified – along with the sources. Where the search reveals limits to what is publicly accessible, we say so and advise on alternative routes if any exist.
Follow-up if needed
If the initial findings raise further questions – an unexpected owner, an undisclosed mortgage, a complex corporate structure – we are available to discuss and, where appropriate, extend the research scope.
By the numbers
9/10
Client satisfaction score — ten years in a row
10+
Years specialising exclusively in yacht registration
ISO 9001
Certified — one of the only specialists in the EU
15+
European ship registers covered
Why instruct us?
Access to ship register information across multiple jurisdictions requires relationships that take years to build. We have them and we know how to use them efficiently.
Direct register relationships, not cold searches
We have working relationships with ship register authorities across Europe. A cold approach to a foreign register can take weeks to produce a result, if it produces one at all. We typically return results within a few working days because we know who to ask and how.
We go beyond the ship register when needed
Establishing the UBO behind a company-owned vessel requires corporate registry research across potentially multiple jurisdictions. We map the ownership chain as far as official records allow and advise clearly on what remains inaccessible and why.
Direct contact, no intermediaries
You deal with Boudewijn directly. Ownership enquiries are often time-sensitive and frequently generate follow-up questions. You should be able to reach someone who knows the file and can respond immediately.
GDPR-compliant and discreet
All research is conducted through official public records. Personal data is handled in strict accordance with GDPR, shared only with the instructing party, and not retained beyond the scope of the engagement. Confidentiality is standard, not an afterthought.
Candid about what is and is not achievable
We do not over-promise. Where information is genuinely inaccessible, because a register does not make it publicly available, or because a corporate structure obscures the beneficial owner — we say so at the outset, not after charging for an inconclusive search.
ISO 9001 certified processes
Our procedures meet ISO 9001 quality management standards — documented, consistent, and auditable. For professionals who need to evidence their due diligence, a well-documented search with clear sourcing is more useful than an informal raeport.
Questions about vessel ownership research
Common questions from the professionals who use this service. If your situation is not covered here, call us directly.
Need to establish ownership of a vessel? Tell us what you have and we will tell you what we can find.
A brief description of the vessel and the purpose of the search is enough to get started. We will come back to you with a clear assessment of what is achievable and how we propose to proceed. All enquiries are treated as confidential.