Shipping Registries of Vittmark

The Shipping Registries of Vittmark are records that document the registration of military and merchant vessels within the country. Vittmark currently maintains three separate registries, although almost a third of its merchant fleet operates under a foreign flag of convenience.

History

The need for a unified shipping registry arose with the formation of Vittmark, which was established as a result of the Treaty of Nisipari in 7568 RH. According to the treaty, all member states' registries were to be replaced by a single federal registry within five years. However, the assassination of King Karl av Kulla in 7566 RH caused significant delays in the formation and implementation of federal organizations. After consulting with the signatory nations, the implementation period was extended to 7573 RH.

In 7572 RH, the Lidenish Navy's refusal to transfer to the federal registry and command became a major issue, leading to internal conflicts within the member state. A military takeover in Månstad led to the completion of the transfer before the end of 7573 RH.

In 7570 RH, Fisks joined the federation by free association. One of the conditions for joining was the continuation of its own shipping registry. In 7572 RH, a federal supreme court ruled in favor of Fisks, allowing it to maintain its registry since the Treaty of Nisipari only mentioned member states and territories existing at the time of the formation. Following this ruling, Fjällsta Stift also applied to open its own registry. The federal government had no choice but to allow this third registry to open, which it did in 7573 RH.

In 7574 RH, the Common Tariff was introduced by the Treaty of Ærilar. Vittmark strongly protested against this treaty because it had granted favorable port concessions to all signatory nations but now faced a unilaterally declared common tariff for the passage of several sea straits. In addition to this fundamental objection, Vittmark also argued that neither the federal budget nor the federal tax system would allow for the collection of the tariff from the owners of seagoing vessels. At the height of the diplomatic conflict, Anisora decided to open an international registry for foreign-owned merchant vessels in October 7574 RH. By February 7575 RH, nearly a third of the Vittmarker merchant fleet had entered the Anisoran International Registry or was in the process of doing so.

Federal Maritime Registry of Vittmark

The Federal Maritime Registry of Vittmark (Vittmarks Förbundsregister för Fartyg, VFF) is regulated by the Shipping Registry Law (Lagen om Fartygsregistrering 7565 377). This registry falls under the Department of Development Infrastructure Authority (Kommunikationsstyrelsen). According to the Treaty of Nisipari, the registry is only for vessels owned and operated by Vittmarker institutions, companies, and persons.

The federal register was established in 7567 RH, but the transfer of vessel registration from member states was slow. States with updated legislation regarding registration, such as Hagen, Dunsvik, and Laxholmen, completed the transfer relatively quickly. Ådalen ignored most federal institutions until 7572 RH, which made re-registering the entire fleet within 16 months an enormous task. A similar rush occurred when Liden refused to transfer its military vessels to the new registry in 7572 RH. After a military coup in the autumn of 7573 RH, the last remaining vessels were re-registered.

All military vessels fly the Vittmarker ensign with its tongued swallowtail, while the civil ensign is an adaptation of the vertical banner used as an alternative state flag, making identification easier.

Fisks Maritime Registry

The Fisks Maritime Registry was established after the merchant fleet of Fisks left Stoldavia in 7523 RH. Initially, ships under the Fisks flag were considered piracy vessels. However, with the establishment of a permanent territory for Fisks in the 7550s, the registry gained acceptance from the international community. The registry is managed by the appointed Alf of the Fisks stim in Carls Nybygge.

When Fisks joined Vittmark in 7570 RH, it insisted on maintaining its own registry. The federal supreme court ruled in favor of Fisks on the condition that there was a clear distinction between vessels with a partial military objective and pure civilian vessels. All military vessels were required to fly a tongued swallowtail ensign to distinguish them from civilian ships, a rule that also applied to the federal registry. Unlike the federal registry, the Fisks registry is open to foreign-owned and operated vessels. Ships flying the Fisks flag are not bound by the article about port concessions in the Treaty of Nisipari, and they frequently dock in Östvallen, the only large city without a port concession.

Fjällsta Shipping Registry

The Fjällsta Shipping Registry was established after Fjällsta Stift joined Vittmark by free association and applied for its own registry. Due to the political support needed from Fjällsta politicians to maintain the coalition government, the federal government reluctantly allowed the registry to open in 7573 RH. The registry, known as Transportstyrelsen i Fjällsta, is managed from Fjällsta and all seagoing ships registered there have Nabben as their port of call. Fjällsta operates an exclave in Nabben, which is one of the few pieces of land owned by this predominantly landless congregation. Ships operating on rivers and lakes might have Fjällsta as their port of call, although there has never been a ship based in that city. All ships also fly the civil flag, typically at the bow, bow mast, or topmast of the ship.