The Bottom Line
- Expanded Scope: Registration is now mandatory for both vessel-mounted Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and, crucially, Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs) carried by individuals on board.
- Broad Application: These rules apply to a wide range of vessels, including all UK-registered ships, hovercraft, and now explicitly extend to smaller “watercraft”.
- Serious Consequences: Non-compliance is a criminal offence for owners and masters, carrying risks of significant fines, imprisonment for up to two years, and the costly operational disruption of vessel detention.
The Details
The UK government has updated its maritime safety framework with new regulations that take effect on 15th April 2026. These rules overhaul the previous 2000 regulations by significantly expanding the scope of mandatory safety beacon registration. While the requirement to register vessel-mounted Emergency Position-Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) remains, the key change is the inclusion of Personal Locator Beacons (PLBs). This change acknowledges the widespread use of these individual devices by crew and passengers and ensures that search and rescue services have accurate, up-to-date information in an emergency, regardless of whether the distress signal comes from the vessel itself or an individual.
The core obligation falls on vessel owners and masters to ensure any EPIRB on their ship is registered with the Secretary of State and that all registered details are accurate. The new rules extend a similar duty to the owner of any PLB carried on board a vessel. Critically, this is not a one-time task; there is an ongoing legal duty to promptly provide written notice of any changes to the registered information. The specific particulars required for registration are outlined in the official Merchant Shipping Notice 1924 (M+F), which now becomes a key compliance document for all maritime operators in the UK.
The regulations are backed by substantial enforcement powers that business leaders cannot afford to ignore. Allowing a vessel to operate with an unregistered or incorrectly registered beacon is a criminal offence, exposing both the company (the owner) and the ship’s master to prosecution. Penalties upon conviction are severe, ranging from fines to a potential prison sentence of up to two years. Perhaps most impactful from a commercial standpoint, authorities now have a clear power to detain any vessel found to be in breach of these regulations, leading to significant operational delays, financial loss, and reputational damage.
Source
The Merchant Shipping (EPIRB and PLB Registration and Radiocommunications) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (UK S.I. 2026/306)
