The Maritime and Coastguard Agency has published formal guidance titled Guidance: MIN 738 (M+F) Direction issued under Section 8(4) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
The item, published by the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency and dated 4 September 2026, is recorded as a Direction made under Section 8(4) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
The agency’s summary identifies the Direction as relating to registrations that were previously granted under the EU/EEA free movement eligibility category.
The published Guidance: MIN 738 (M+F) document is presented by the MCA as a legal direction. The brief public summary supplied with the item notes the specific focus on registrations awarded under the EU/EEA free movement eligibility category.
The document’s title and the agency’s summary indicate the Direction is addressing the legal status or administrative handling of particular vessel or seafarer registrations. The MCA publication is the primary reference for the measure and its stated purpose.
Scope and form of the publication
The guidance appears on the agency’s official publications list and is titled so as to identify its statutory footing under the Merchant Shipping Act 1995. The published date is 4 September 2026, as recorded by the MCA.
What the Direction covers
According to the short summary supplied with the item, the Direction concerns registrations previously granted under the EU/EEA free movement eligibility category. The agency’s listing identifies this focus but provides no further detail in the summary.
The Maritime Gazette is reporting the release and the headline particulars of the MCA item. For the full legal text, operative provisions and any procedural requirements referenced, readers should consult the MCA’s published Guidance: MIN 738 (M+F) Direction issued under Section 8(4) of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995.
The material supplied to The Maritime Gazette for this report is limited to the publication title, the agency attribution and the brief summary line identifying the registrations covered. No additional provisions, explanatory notes or implementation timetable were supplied in the factual notes used for this item.
Those seeking to assess direct effects on specific registrations or on compliance obligations should refer to the MCA publication itself. The agency’s document is the source for the Direction and any formal requirements it contains.
Readers requiring the full text of the Direction and any annexes will find them in the MCA publication record; the Maritime Gazette has relied on the agency’s title, date and summary as supplied for this report.