Q1097. What maritime rules govern international commercial shipping license translations?

Answered by the NYC Visa & Translation certified translation team

International commercial shipping in Thailand is administered by the Marine Department under the Thai Vessel Act and related maritime law, with international conventions (SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, MLC) shaping the document standards. The translation flows: foreign vessel documents (certificates of registry, tonnage certificates, class certificates, safety certificates) for Thai-flag registration or port entry are translated into Thai or English per the Marine Department's requirements; Thai vessel documents go into English for foreign port state control, charterers, and insurers; and crew documents (certificates of competency, seaman's books) follow STCW recognition procedures between administrations. Rules that matter: convention certificates (Safety Construction, Load Line, IOPP) are issued in the IMO-prescribed formats which are already bilingual or English — translation is rarely needed for the certificates themselves; the ship's particulars (tonnage, dimensions, call sign, IMO number) are transcribed exactly — the IMO number is the definitive identifier; and classification society documents (class certificates, survey reports) are issued in English by the major societies and accepted as such. Practice points: for Thai-flag registration of a foreign-built vessel, the document set includes the builder's certificate, previous registry deletion certificate, and sale documents — each with its own legalisation chain; charter party and bill of lading translation follows maritime-law practice with the standard forms (GENCON, NYPE, CONGENBILL) having established usage; and for port state control inspections, the vessel's certificates must be current and legible — carry the English versions. Confirm the Marine Department's current requirements for the specific transaction.