[CA] [CA11] Foreign MMSI to U.S. Flagged Boat

[LeeV]

After much research and many calls, here's the question we had, and the solutions below, along with the address for Raymarine in the U.S. for MMSI deletions/replacements:

We purchased a 2012 Lagoon 450 catamaran previously registered with a U.K. MMSI in the British Virgin Islands. All the necessary paperwork has been completed, the boat is now registered in Maryland, a Coast Guard package has been submitted and we just received our official federal number.
We received conflicting responses to our questions about the MMSI # in the AIS, Radio and registering the EPIRB. To make matters worse, the previous owner has moved out of the country to Thailand and is incommunicado! The AIS is working and as of a few moments ago shows up on VesselFinder still as a U.K. vessel (not legal for us to use). Here is what we believe to be the correct information if you also have this issue; I hope it's of some value:

RESPONSES

The vessel was BVI flagged and is now US flagged.

The existing Station License and Call Sign are no longer valid. The same is true of the BVI-assigned MMSI number.

None of them can be used legally by a US flagged vessel. They do not need to be cancelled; just don’t use them.

If you still require a Station License and Call Sign, contact FCC for assistance. 1-877-480-3201. They will also issue an appropriate US MMSI number.

If a License is not required, you can obtain a domestic-only US MMSI at https://www.boatus.com/MMSI/MMSI/ObtainMMSI#!

In either case, the MMSI in the radio will have to be reset, which almost certainly means sending the unit back to the manufacturer.

U.S. East Coast:
Send AIS and VHF to:

Raymarine
9 Townsend West
Nashua
New Hampshire 03063

Include new MMSI from FCC/Ship's License , Vessel Name and CG Doc number

EPIRB units on US flagged vessels do not use MMSI numbers. They come from the manufacturer with unique pre-assigned 15 character alpha-numeric ID Codes. European units use MMSI numbers, but US EPIRBs do not.

US flagged vessels’ EPIRBs must be registered with NOAA (Suitland, MD 888-212-7283) and should include a reference to the vessel’s MMSI.

Satisfy all the US requirements and keep good written records; you’ll need them later.

Best regards,
LeeV

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum Lee,

A single MMSI will be used for the AIS transceiver and DSC VHF radio. Should the vessel change ownership, then a new MMSI will need to be obtained and programmed into these devices. For recreational vessels which will not leave the US, a new MMSI may be obtained from BoatUS or US Power Squadron. Otherwise, the owner must apply to the FCC for a MMSI. If the VHF radio and AIS transceiver are Raymarine branded products, then they may indeed be sent to Raymarine's US Product Repair Center to have their MMSI's erased. While at Raymarine the software within these devices will be updated. MMSIs and AIS static data will also be entered into these products if supplied by their owners. As you have suggested EPIRBs are not registered with the FCC.