Commercial Fishing Vessel Remarking Exercise

Commercial Fishing Vessel Remarking Exercise

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Commercial Fishing Vessel Re-marking Exercise

(FP) Fishermen are being encouraged to have their commercial fishing vessels re-registered, as the Fisheries Division undertakes a re-marking exercise to bring them in line with international standards. The process of remarking these vessels is now under way, and will see fishing boats bearing registration numbers starting with 8P, which is the call sign for…

GISJulia Rawlins-Bentham

The Fisheries Division is undertaking an exercise to remark commercial fishing vessels. Currently in Barbados, fishing vessels are marked in the same way as motor vehicles beginning with a letter that denotes the parish for example: X075.

Although this format of marking is highly practiced and recognized in Barbados, efforts are underway to transform the current marking scheme, to one that satisfies international standards. The objectives therefore of the vessel remarking exercise are:

• To promote compliance with global standards;
• To improve the efficacy of operations by the Barbados Fisheries Division; and
• To support the implementation and evaluation of a successful launch of the vessel remarking exercise.

After discussions with stakeholders, the new format for vessel registration numbers will begin with 8P, the call sign for Barbados, followed by the hull number.

In preparation for implementation, we have engaged a few influential boat owners to participate in a pilot to test the application procedure and implementation strategy.

We will officially launch the exercise with an awareness and engagement campaign from January 2024 to inform the wider maritime industry and the general public.