Logbooks

You record the activities of your fishing vessel in a paper or electronic logbook that is kept on board. A logbook is valid for three months. 

For on-board safety, you must carry out a number of exercises and checks at specified times. You must also record these in the logbook. 

Any incident on your fishing vessel must be reported as soon as possible to the standby service of the Maritime Inspectorate at 0473 700 353.

After that, you must also send a sea protest with a copy of the logbook to the email address logboek.visserij@mobilit.fgov.be, at the latest within three days after arrival at the port. 

Please note: use the new deck logbooks for fishing vessels flying the Belgian flag. You can download those at the bottom of this page. The old logbook format is no longer valid since 1 January 2019. You can also no longer buy paper logbooks at the office of the FPS Mobility and Transport.

How to proceed?

Exercises and checks

You must carry out a number of exercises and checks at specified times. You must also record these in the logbook. To do so, put a cross in the exercise section when you have done the exercise or check. 

Before the vessel gets under way

Extinguishers and fire-fighting equipment 

Check the presence of extinguishers and other portable fire-fighting equipment before the vessel gets under way. 

Fire-fighting equipment must always be 

• kept in its proper location 
• maintained in good working order
• be available for immediate use 

Crew members must be familiar with: 

• the locations of fire-fighting equipment 
• the way fire-fighting equipment works and how it should be used 

Life-saving and survival equipment 

Check all items of life-saving and survival equipment before the vessel leaves port and during the voyage: 

• Are they kept in their proper locations? 
• Are they maintained in good working order? 
• Are they available for immediate use? 

Every week

Aids to navigation

Every week, you must test, update and well maintain all aids to navigation, including electronic aids to navigation.
Examples of aids to navigation include:

• AIS 
• notices to mariners 
• paper and digital maps
• depth gauge/echosounder
• navigation lights/fishing lights 
• gyrocompass 
• radio equipment 
• steering gear 
• binoculars 
• … 

Every month

Fire detection 

Every month, you must test and well maintain the fire detection and alarm systems. 

Survival drills 

Every month, you must carry out musters of crew members for survival drill in port and/or at sea. These drills must ensure that the crew members thoroughly understand and are exercised in the duties which they have to perform with respect to the handling and operation of all life-saving and survival equipment. 

Radio equipment 

Crew members must be trained in the setting up and operation of the portable radio equipment, where carried. 

Every three months

Fire-fighting drills 

Every three months, you must carry out a fire-fighting drill. 

Emergency lighting 

You must maintain the emergency lighting in an efficient operating condition and test it every three months. 

Magnetic compass 

Every three months, you must test the magnetic compass. 

New crew member

A person who has not sailed on board the specific fishing vessel in the last six months is considered a new crew member. When new crew members come on board, they must receive instruction or training so that they: 

• are properly trained and have received appropriate instructions in anticipation of an emergency 
• thoroughly understand how they have to operate all life-saving and survival equipment 
• are familiar with the locations of fire-fighting equipment, the way it works and how it should be used 

Incidents

Any incident on your fishing vessel must be reported as soon as possible to the standby service of the Maritime Inspectorate at 0473 700 353. 

After that, you must also send a sea protest with a copy of the logbook to the email address logboek.visserij@mobilit.fgov.be, at the latest within three days after arrival at the port. 

What is an incident?

Examples of incidents include: 

• serious occupational accidents during operations on the ship (if someone has to be taken off board after the accident, whether or not by helicopter or by calling at a port)/person overboard 
• other medical events if the minimum crew size is no longer met 
• under arrest/detention 
• oil leak/pollution 
• collision or stranding
• fire/explosion 
• structural damage making the ship unseaworthy 
• breakdown causing the ship to require assistance 
• security situations such as piracy, theft, bomb alert, suspicious package, stowaways ...

You must notify the standby service for the above cases only. 

Sea protest

You must draw up a sea protest for every material damage and all occupational accidents, including cases that do not require you to notify the standby service. In the sea protest, you must include the following information: 

• name of the ship 
• date and time of the incident 
• place of the incident
• type of incident 
• description of the incident 
• actions taken 
• contact details 
• other relevant information 

Contact

Report an incident (standby service of the Maritime Inspectorate)

0473 700 353

General questions (Sea Fisheries Office)

The Sea Fisheries Office is available by appointment only. 

Please use the web form to make an appointment. You can also make an appointment by phone at 02 277 42 92.