UK Territories and Gibraltar Register Removed

Summary#

These are final regulations — Regulations Amending the Regulations Specifying Territories and Indicating International Registers (SOR/2020-289) — that change which overseas territories and ship registers are listed in a Canadian regulation. The changes remove several United Kingdom territories and the Gibraltar Register, and they took effect on January 1, 2021.

What it does#

• Replaces Schedule 1 of the existing regulation so that UK territories are no longer listed there.
• Removes the Gibraltar Register from Schedule 2.
• Specifically, 15 U.K. territories were removed:
  • Anguilla
  • Bermuda
  • British Antarctic Territory
  • British Channel Islands
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • British Virgin Islands
  • Cayman Islands
  • Falkland Islands
  • Isle of Man
  • Montserrat
  • Pitcairn
  • Saint Helena and Dependencies
  • South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
  • Turks and Caicos Islands
  • United Kingdom Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia
• The regulations say these changes come into force on January 1, 2021.

Who's affected#

• Businesses and people who traded with, did business in, or dealt with ships registered in the removed U.K. territories or in Gibraltar.
• Ship owners, operators, and maritime service providers who use the Gibraltar Register or who dealt with the listed territories under rules that referred to the old schedules.
• Government and agencies involved in trade and shipping rules (for example, Transport Canada) because the lists in these regulations are used to apply other Canadian rules.

If it’s unclear whether a specific person or company is affected, they should check the exact rules that relied on these schedules or contact Transport Canada for details.

Why it matters#

• The changes were made because the United Kingdom left the EU (“Brexit”) and so no longer qualifies for certain treatment under Canada’s trade deal with the EU (CETA). Removing these entries aligns Canadian regulations with that reality.
• In practical terms, businesses that previously relied on being treated like EU partners for trade or shipping purposes with those territories may lose that basis going forward. The regulations themselves say they impose no new costs.
• Key dates: the regulation was registered on December 21, 2020, published in the Canada Gazette on January 6, 2021, and came into force on January 1, 2021.