“First register” and “second register”
German shipping registry comprises the:
Shipping registers of ocean-going ships (in colloquial terms “first register”) and the
International German shipping register (GIS) (in colloquial terms “second register”).
There is no central German „first register“ but a number of shipping registers of ocean-going ships maintained by particular district courts, located mainly near the German coastline. The responsible court depends on the home port of the ship. In contrast, the GIS is a central register, maintained by the Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH, Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency).