Apply for a coastal shipping permit for foreign vessels

You’ll be emailed a voucher for an engineering inspection and technical inspection.

1. Pay with the voucher at a post office
2. Email your confirmation of payment with the post office bank stamp to [email protected]

Fees are updated on 1 January annually and published on the Shipping and Ports Authority website.
 

1. Submit the application for a coastal shipping permit to the Senior Division Director of Engineering and Operations, with the required documents, signed by the vessel owner or their representative
   • Vessels that without a permit for coastal shipping must apply within 30 days of their arrival of the vessel in Israel's coastal waters
   • Applications to renew an existing permit must be submitted no later than one month before it expires
   • If you need to correct or submit additional documents you’ll receive an email with the application status and instructions
2. If you have correctly submitted the application and all required documents, it will be forwarded to the Director of Shipping and Ports Authority for approval

What happens next

1. If approved, the application will move into the engineering examination phase
2. The director of the authority can issue a temporary permit for up to 30 consecutive days, subject to the conditions set forth in regulation 3 (b) and the reservations set forth in regulation 6 (a) of the law
   
   Vessels built over 25 years ago (the date of keel laying) must pass a technical inspection by a marine examiner or marine supervisor before a temporary permit is issued.

1. Pay the fee the relevant fee, before beginning the engineering tests 
2. You’ll be sent an email that the application has been forwarded to the engineering inspection phase from the head of the Shipping and Ports Division in the Engineering and Port Operations Division 
3. Make ready the vessel and submit the required documents for an engineering inspection according to Regulation 4 of the regulations
4. The engineer will examine your documents and decide whether to examine the vessel (with your consent), to inspect its structure and systems and anything else that requires examination in accordance with Regulation 5 (c) of the Regulations.
5. Within 5 days of submitting the required documents and the vessel structure inspectional you’ll receive one of the following decisions by email:
   • engineering approval
   • engineering approval under certain conditions that must be met
   • refusal to grant an engineering permit
6. The Director of the Port Engineering and Operations Division will notify:
   • the applicants
   • the director of the authority
   • the technical director
      

1. After receiving an engineering certificate, you must make the vessel available for a technical certification inspection, according to Regulation 6 of the Regulations:
   • if the vessel is associated with the Supervision and Control Division, technical approval will be given by the Director of the Supervision and Control Division
   • if the vessel is associated with the Small Vessels Division, technical approval will be given by the Director of the Small Vessels Division
2. The technical director will:
   • check of the vessel crew list 
   • examine of application documents
   • inspect of the vessel at their discretion, according to Regulations 6 (d) and (e) of the Regulations.
3. Within 7 days of making the vessel available for inspection, the technical director’s decision will be filled in the technical approval section of the application, including their signature 
4. Applicants will be emailed the decision to grant or deny technical approval.
    

1. After issuing an engineering and technical approval, the application will be forwarded by the Director of the Engineering and Port Operations Division to the Director of the Authority for approval and signing, as well as a signed approval by the requesting representatives that no reasonable Israeli alternative has been found
2. The Director of the Authority’s approval will be granted within 3 days, after receiving all the approvals
3. You’ll be emailed the approval and any other conditions, if existing
    

• A foreign vessel that is a charter ship will be inspected in accordance with Chapter Five A, of the Maritime Safety Regulations, even after a permit has been issued (in accordance with Regulation 10A of the Coastal Shipping Regulations).
• A vessel that is not a charter ship, which has received a permit for coastal shipping for a period exceeding one year, will be considered after this period as an Israeli vessel for the purpose of sailing safety regulations, as long as it is in Israel's coastal waters or inland waters (according to Regulation 10B of Coastal Shipping Regulations).

Presence of Israeli crew

• After the permit for coastal shipping and as part of PSC inspections, or otherwise at the discretion of the Technical Director - the presence of Israeli crew members on the vessel will be checked, as required by Regulation 13 of the Coastal Shipping Regulations according to this detail
• The vessel must be crewed by at least 2 Israeli crew members who speak Hebrew.
• If Israeli crew members serve on the vessel, one of them must be an officer.
• Technical directors may require additional Israeli crew, for the safety of the vessel, the safety of the persons on the vessel and in its vicinity, or for the prevention of pollution of the marine environment.
   

Email or post the required documents to Senior Division Director of Engineering and Operations

Email: [email protected]

Address: Pal-Yam 15A, PO Box 806 Haifa 31999

For inquiries call 04-6832121