It should be easier to register smaller ships and easier to carry ships bought abroad. These are two of the measures that the government wants to introduce in order to facilitate shipping.

"The government wants to develop Swedish shipping. It is about work, transport efficiency and the climate. The regulatory simplifications now proposed is another step in the government's efforts to promote shipping" says Minister of Infrastructure Anna Johansson in the government's press release.

• The legislative council proposes to simplify the registration of smaller ships. Ships will only count as ships if their hull length is over 24 meters. Today, a ship must have a length of at least 12 meters and a width of at least 4 meters. This means that the pledging of ships through mortgages only apply to the slightly larger vessels that will still be classified as ships. This facilitates the ownership and use of smaller vessels in the maritime industries.
• The registration requirement for boats is extended to include not only boats used for certain professional purposes but also other boats, but only if the hull length is 15-24 meters.
• The Government also proposes that a conditional temporary registration in the ship register be introduced to facilitate the transfer of ships purchased abroad.
• The untimely right to distinctive shipping names is also discontinued because ships today are identified by its so-called IMO number from the UN Maritime Organization.

The legislative amendments are proposed to enter into force on February 1, 2018.

Implementing simplifications for shipping is one of several activities in progress in the maritime part of the government's maritime strategy. The government wants to strengthen the competitiveness of Swedish shipping and work for a transfer of goods from road to shipping.