🇻🇬 British Virgin Islands
ISO VGB / VG
Regulatory
- MLC 2006
- ratified (2013-08-06)
- Paris MoU rating
- unknown
- Tokyo MoU rating
- unknown
- USCG Qualship 21
- not listed
- ITF FoC
- not listed
Registry
- Vessel count
- —
- Deadweight
- —
- Administration
- Virgin Islands Shipping Registry (Cat 1 UK Red Ensign)
- File a complaint
- —
Cat 1 UK Red Ensign Group registry; primarily yacht and small commercial.
Compliance history
- Tokyo MoU
This page could not be found. Maybe try a search?
ページが見つかりませんでした - Tokyo MOU - ILO NORMLEX
ILO is a United Nations Agency
Ratifications of ILO conventions: Ratifications for
Country context
- Population
- 39,732 (2025)
- Income group
- High income
- Region
- Latin America & Caribbean
Source: World Bank Open Data.
What this means for seafarers
- MLC 2006: This flag has ratified MLC 2006. Vessels must hold a valid Maritime Labour Certificate + DMLC Part II posted onboard. You can file an MLC complaint via the flag administration.
- Port-state-control profile: not-listed or unknown rating. Read about PSC regimes →
- STCW: Party to STCW. Verify a CoC issued under this flag at the administration.
See also: flag risk explained · MLC ratification list · white/grey/black lists.
Reference
- III Code — the IMO flag-state audit scheme measuring implementation of IMO instruments.
- Port state control — how British Virgin Islands-flagged ships are inspected + detained in foreign ports.
- Minimum safe manning — the SOLAS V/14 basis for British Virgin Islands's manning documents.
- Marine cyber incidents — case studies + the IACS UR E26/E27 cyber-resilience regime.
Ports in British Virgin Islands
British Virgin Islands flag: FAQ
- Is the British Virgin Islands flag safe for seafarers?
- The British Virgin Islands flag has weaker port-state-control ratings under one or both MoU regimes. It has ratified MLC 2006, so seafarers retain convention-based rights. Operators on weaker-rated flags are not always poor employers, but they face less external regulatory pressure.
- Has British Virgin Islands ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006)?
- Yes — British Virgin Islands has ratified MLC 2006 (ratified 2013). Seafarers serving on British Virgin Islands-flagged vessels are entitled to make MLC complaints through the flag administration, port state, or seafarer welfare organisations such as the ITF.
- How do I file a complaint against a British Virgin Islands-flagged vessel or operator?
- Complaints can be lodged with the Virgin Islands Shipping Registry (Cat 1 UK Red Ensign). Under MLC 2006, complaints may also be lodged with the port-state authority of any MLC-ratified port. The ITF and seafarer welfare organisations (Mission to Seafarers, Stella Maris, Sailors' Society) can advocate on your behalf. Keep contract, wage records, and seaman's book ready.
- What port-state-control rating does British Virgin Islands have?
- Paris MoU rating: unknown. Tokyo MoU rating: unknown. PSC ratings classify flags by inspection and detention history. White / low-risk flags face fewer PSC inspections; black / high-risk flags face more frequent inspection and a higher detention rate.
- Is British Virgin Islands on the ITF Flag of Convenience (FoC) list?
- No — British Virgin Islands is not currently on the ITF Flag of Convenience list. Seafarers retain general ITF-channel access for advocacy and abandonment response regardless of FoC status.
Compare British Virgin Islands with another flag
Put two or three flags side-by-side on the comparison tool.
Compare →High confidence
Editorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.