The Merchant Shipping (Registration of Fishing Vessels) Regulations 1988
Part II of the Merchant Shipping Act 1988, which comes into force on the making of these Regulations, provides that there shall be a new registration system for fishing vessels. These Regulations provide for the establishment of one central register for the whole of the United Kingdom which will be at the offices of the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen in Cardiff. However notwithstanding that registration is centralised vessels will be registered as belonging to a particular port of registry and the existing system of marking vessels with port letters and numbers will continue.