Mandatory registration & tonnage measurement

According to Chapter 1, section 1 of the Swedish Maritime Code (SFS 1994:1009), a ship is a vessel having a length over all exceeding 24 meters. All Swedish ships (ships owned to an extent of more than half by Swedish nationals or Swedish legal entities) have to be registered in the Swedish Register of Ships. Other vessels are called boats. Swedish boats with a length over all exceeding 15 meters also have to be be registered, as well as most boats used for commercial purposes.

Swedish ships must be registered regardless of how the vessel is used, meaning that also ships used only for pleasure purposes shall be registered as ships.

All Swedish boats with a length over all exceeding 15 meters (including pleasure boats) must be registered. Such boats that are usually stationed in Sweden and owned by a person with permanent residence in Sweden must also be registered. Finally, boats used for commercial purposes related to transport of goods or passengers, salvage and tug services, fishing or commercial charter to the public, must also be registered in case the length over all is at least 5 meters.

Rules relating to the registration of ships and boats are found in the Swedish Maritime Code (SFS 1994:1009) and the code for registration of boats (SFS 1979:377).

Learn more related to the registration of ships and boats in Sweden on the page Swedish Register of Shipping.

Mandatory tonnage measurement

All Swedish vessels with a length over all of at least 12 meters, and a maximum breadth of at least 4 meters have to be measured, unless the vessel is used exclusively for pleasure purposes and the length over all does not exceed 24 meters.
Rules related to the tonnage measurement of vessels are found in the ordinance on tonnage measurements of ships (SFS 1994:1162).

Tonnage measurements are carried out by the Swedish Transport Agency. More information is available on the page Application for tonnage measurement.