On the National Day of the Faroe Islands, Ólavsøka, on 29 July 2025, the Faroe Islands assumed responsibility for the field of maritime law – a central and important area for the Faroe Islands as a strong maritime nation. From now on, the Faroese authorities will hold legislative, administrative and financial responsibility within this field.
The legislation currently in force in the Faroe Islands will remain applicable until new legislation is passed by the Faroese authorities.
The process of assuming responsibility for maritime law began in 2001 with the transfer of responsibility for maritime safety. Pilotage followed in 2011, nautical charting and hydrography surveying in 2020, and the areas of maritime navigation markers and lighthouse authority in 2024. Assuming the responsibility of the Merchant Shipping Act (Søloven) means that all matters within the field of maritime law are now under Faroese control.
In connection with this transfer of responsibility, Sjóvinnustýrið in the Faroe Islands and the Danish Maritime Authority signed a cooperation agreement on 12 August 2025. Among other things, the agreement commits the parties to work towards maintaining a high level of safety in their respective merchant and fishing fleets and continuing to cooperate in international forums, including the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The transfer has practical implications for businesses, as Sjóvinnustýrið will henceforth be responsible, among other things, for approving and surveying Faroese vessels and for issuing Bunker and CLC certificates.
On its website, Sjóvinnustýrið states that certificates already issued will remain valid until the date indicated on the certificate. However, Sjóvinnustýrið encourages all vessels registered in the Faroe Islands, as well as any other vessels required by law to hold a Faroese certificate, to submit applications to renew their Bunker and CLC certificates well in advance of 20 February 2026.
According to the cooperation agreement, the Danish Maritime Authority will, for the time being, continue to issue certificates for Faroese vessels pursuant to international obligations under the 2002 Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their Luggage by Sea (Athens Certificates) and the 2007 Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of Wrecks (WRC Certificates) until the territorial reservations concerning the Faroe Islands to the conventions have been withdrawn. A Faroese-Danish working group is currently addressing this issue.
At Gorrissen Federspiel, we are delighted, together with our Faroese partners, about the assumption of responsibility for the field of maritime law. We are ready to assist with applications for certificates or insurance law matters in this context – also in Faroese.