The First Owner’s Reference
1st Edition/Glossary/Red Ensign Group

Red Ensign Group

The collective UK and British Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories ship registries operating under MCA-equivalent standards. Includes Cayman, Bermuda, Gibraltar, BVI, Isle of Man, Jersey, and Guernsey.

Definition

The Red Ensign Group comprises Category 1 registries (UK, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, BVI, Gibraltar, Isle of Man) which can register vessels of unlimited tonnage and type, and Category 2 registries (Anguilla, Falkland Islands, Guernsey, Jersey, Montserrat, St Helena, Turks and Caicos) which are limited to commercial ships and pleasure vessels up to 150 GT, extendable to 400 GT by agreement with the UK. All members operate to MCA-equivalent standards under the REG Yacht Code.