Where a marriage takes place at sea, there could be difficulty in determining the country took place
Mike Penning, the shipping minister, has told his officials to see how the law could be changed to enable UK vessels to cash in on the lucrative market.
In a Commons reply Mr Penning said said he was looking at options which would allow both marriages and civil partnerships to be carried out at sea.
The move comes as the Government has come under pressure from both the Shipping Industry and Nautilus, the union representing merchant navy officers.
“This has become big business,” said John Spellar, a former Labour transport minister. “The change will be a big win for UK shipping.”
But a Nautilus spokesman voiced fears that the change could be too late. “This could be a case of locking the stable after the horse has bolted.”
In October Cunard announced that it was registering all its ships in Bermuda to enable it to conduct weddings at sea.
The same service is offered by other major cruise companies including Royal Caribbean, Princess and P & O.
Weddings at sea are not only popular for the romance of tying the knot on the ocean, but the ceremony can be considerably cheaper as well.
According to research by Mintel, the average bill for a wedding ashore, is about 20,000, cruise companies offer packages for as little as 800.
A number of issues would have to be settled, Mr Penning added.
“Where a marriage takes place at sea, there could be difficulty in determining the country in which the ceremony took place and any legislation would need to be clear about whose jurisdiction the ship is in, in order to determine what legal requirements must be met to perform a valid marriage or civil partnership.”
While captains on foreign vessels are allowed to conduct marriage ceremonies, the formalities would have to be conducted by an official registrar.
“We wanted masters to be able to officiate as they are able to do under a number of other jurisdictions,” said Tim Reardon, the Chamber of Shipping’s head of Taxation.
However no formal qualifications are required for the post of registrar , who are normally trained by a local authority.
Source: The Telegraph
