What International Registries does

International Registries, Inc. (IRI) is a privately held maritime and corporate registry services company headquartered at 11495 Commerce Park Drive, Reston, Virginia. Founded in 1969 and operating for 75 years, IRI holds the exclusive administrative and technical mandate from the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) government to run the RMI Maritime and Corporate Registries through its affiliated entity, The Trust Company of the Marshall Islands, Inc. (TCMI). The company serves commercial shipowners, operators, financial institutions, yacht owners, seafarers, and corporate clients seeking to register under the RMI flag or form Marshall Islands business entities.

The company's offering is a vertically integrated suite of recurring registry services rather than a single product. Maritime services encompass vessel registration, bareboat registration, mortgage recordation, vessel documentation, tonnage tax calculation, ISM/ISPS/MLC management systems certification, ship radio licensing, electronic record books, casualty investigations, and seafarer certification. Corporate services cover formation and ongoing administration of International Business Corporations (IBCs), Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Partnerships, and Foreign Maritime Entities (FMEs), including economic substance reporting and beneficial-ownership compliance. A dedicated Yacht Registry unit supports private and commercial yachts under the RMI Yacht Code, and specialized teams cover gas carriers (LNG/LPG), cruise vessels, and offshore renewables. Distribution is via a 28-office global network (Reston, London, Piraeus, Hong Kong, Dalian, Shanghai, Singapore, Hamburg, Geneva, Zurich, Tokyo, Seoul, Manila, Istanbul, Oslo, New York, Houston, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, Baltimore/Annapolis, Long Beach, among others) plus proprietary online tools (vessel database, seafarer verification, entity search, tonnage tax calculator) and a unified payment platform at tcmi-inc.com.

IRI monetizes through annual and transactional registry fees (vessel tonnage-based, corporate entity-based, and seafarer document-based) collected in advance, with subscription-style billing for ongoing fleet and entity maintenance. The company does not disclose revenue; the RMI-flag fleet is reported at 5,200+ vessels across more than 4,800 ships, making IRI one of the largest open-registry administrators globally. Customer segments span shipowners and operators (primary), yacht owners and management companies (primary), corporate entities and financial services (secondary), and seafarers/manning agencies (secondary). Leadership draws heavily from ex-USCG, classification society (Lloyd's Register, ABS, DNV, RINA), and major shipping-company executives; the firm operates debt-free with no external investment activity.

Name

International Registries

Legal name

International Registries, Inc.

Website

https://register-iri.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

International Registries is a privately held maritime and corporate registry services provider that exclusively administers the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries, serving shipowners, yacht owners, corporate entities, and seafarers globally through 28 offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Maritime Registry Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Water Transportation (4883), Navigational Services to Shipping (488330)

SIC

Water Transportation (4400)

akta.pro primary industry

Classification Society & Flag-State Liaison / Plan Approval Support (IMAJAGAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Maritime & Port Authorities (Public Ports, Harbors, Ferries Terminals) (BPAIALAF), Ship & Port Security Audits, Inspections & Certification (Flag/Class/PSC Support) (TLAHANAD)

Keywords

• Ship registry services
• Vessel registration
• Corporate entity formation
• Yacht registration
• Seafarer documentation

Headquarters

HQ city

Reston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices22 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Maritime Registry Services: Fees collected for vessel registration, mortgage recordation, vessel documentation, tonnage tax calculations, and maritime regulatory services. The company provides comprehensive ship registry services for the Marshall Islands flag, one of the world's largest open registries.
2. Corporate Registry Services: Fees for corporate entity formation and maintenance services including International Business Corporations (IBCs), Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Partnerships, and FMEs. Services include documentation, mail forwarding, and economic substance reporting.
3. Yacht Registry Services: Registration services for private and commercial yachts under the Marshall Islands flag, including compliance with RMI Yacht Code requirements.
4. Seafarer Documentation Services: Officer licensing, certification, and documentation services for seafarers serving aboard RMI-registered vessels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

International Registries, Inc. (IRI) provides administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries. The company delivers vessel registration and documentation, mortgage recordation, seafarer licensing and certification, yacht registration under the RMI Yacht Code, and formation/maintenance of corporate entities including IBCs, LLCs, partnerships, and Foreign Maritime Entities. Services are supported by 28 global offices and proprietary online tools such as the vessel database, seafarer verification system, tonnage tax calculator, and entity search.

Product overview

International Registries, Inc. (IRI) is the world’s most experienced privately held maritime and corporate registry service provider, administering the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Maritime and Corporate Registries. The offering is a comprehensive suite of interconnected registry services rather than a single product: the core maritime registry encompasses vessel registration (with vessel database search), mortgage recordation, seafarer documentation (with verification database), and technical support; the corporate registry covers formation of IBCs, LLCs, partnerships, and FMEs with entity search and economic substance reporting; the yacht registry provides specialized yacht registration with dedicated technical and commercial team support; and cross-cutting services include management systems certification (ISM/ISPS/MLC), international participation in IMO/ILO, and 28 global offices for client support. The portfolio also includes proprietary online tools (tonnage tax calculator, entity search, seafarer verification, search and rescue database) and a unified online payment platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Vessel Registration Services Comprehensive vessel registration under the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) flag, including eligibility assessment, vessel particulars management, certificate issuance, and registration transactions for commercial shipowners and operators.
• Mortgage Recordation Recordation of maritime mortgages and related instruments under the RMI Maritime Act, including rights secured, instrument types, and certificate of ownership and encumbrance issuance for vessel financiers and owners.
• Corporate Entity Services Formation and administration of RMI business entities including International Business Corporations (IBCs), Limited Liability Companies (LLCs), Partnerships (General/Limited), and Foreign Maritime Entities (FMEs), with documentation services, mail forwarding, and economic substance reporting for corporate clients.
• Yacht Registry Services Registration and management of private and commercial yachts under the RMI flag, including RMI Yacht Code compliance, technical support, manning requirements, and dual-use options (PYLC and YET) for yacht owners and management companies.
• Seafarer Documentation Certification, licensing, and documentation services for seafarers, including officer licensing, identification and record books, application procedures, and filing agent responsibilities under STCW requirements for officers and crew serving aboard RMI-registered vessels.
• Management Systems Certification Certification and audit services for International Safety Management (ISM) Code, International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, Maritime Labour Convention 2006, and Inventory of Hazardous Materials compliance for shipowners and operators.
• Maritime Technical Support Technical support services including electronic record books, investigations, ship radio licensing, and vessel document verification for RMI-flagged vessels and their owners/operators.
• International Participation Services Representation and participation in International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) meetings and outcomes on behalf of RMI maritime interests, supporting RMI-flagged operators with regulatory developments.
• Investigations and Casualty Response Maritime investigations and casualty response services conducted by IRI's investigations team for RMI-flagged vessels, including incident command support and post-incident analysis.
• Online Payment and Billing Services Electronic payment platform via tcmi-inc.com for maritime fees, corporate fees, yacht fees, and billing management, enabling clients to pay RMI registry invoices online.

Quantifiable outcome

• RMI flag fleet of over 5,200 vessels
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Bureau of Shipping (ABS): ABS is a major classification society with overlapping technical and regulatory services to shipowners. Several IRI senior leaders were hired from ABS, and the firms interact closely across the maritime regulatory chain — ABS as class, IRI as flag.
• Det Norske Veritas (DNV): DNV is one of the world's leading classification societies and a broad incumbent serving similar maritime customers. DNV's merger with Germanischer Lloyd made it IRI's peer at the classification/regulatory interface even though it does not compete as a flag administrator.
• Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore: Bureau Veritas is a leading classification society with global coverage and a broad portfolio of marine services. It is comparable to IRI as a broad incumbent serving shipowners with technical and compliance services that overlap with IRI's regulatory support functions.
• Lloyd's Register: While Lloyd's Register is primarily a classification society (technical surveying) rather than a flag administrator, it is a broad incumbent in the same maritime services ecosystem, serving overlapping shipowner and offshore customers with complementary (and sometimes competing) services.

Direct peers

• Transport Malta (Malta Maritime Authority): Malta is one of Europe's largest open registries and a key competitor in the EU/Mediterranean shipowner segment. It offers vessel and yacht registration, seafarer certification, and corporate services comparable to IRI's offering.
• Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR): LISCR is the world's largest open ship registry (by tonnage) and IRI's most direct competitor. Both are privately administered, third-party flag administrations offering vessel registration, mortgage recordation, and corporate services to global shipowners — directly competing for the same customers on price, regulatory standing, and service quality.
• Isle of Man Ship Registry: The Isle of Man Ship Registry is a well-regarded 'quality' open registry offering vessel registration, seafarer certification, and yacht services. It competes with IRI particularly in the European and superyacht segments, and is frequently benchmarked against the RMI flag.
• Panama Maritime Authority: Panama historically runs the world's largest open registry by vessel count, offering ship registration, mortgage recordation, and seafarer documentation. It is a direct competitor for the price-sensitive commercial shipowner segment that IRI serves.
• Maritime Authority of the Cayman Islands: Cayman's shipping registry is a direct peer, particularly for yachts (PYLC and large/commercial yachts). IRI has even hired Cayman Islands Yacht Code specialists, underscoring the close competitive overlap in the large-yacht registry market.
• Bahamas Maritime Authority: The Bahamas operates a major open registry with full-service vessel registration, seafarer certification, and yacht registration. It competes head-to-head with IRI for the same commercial and yacht owner customer base, particularly in the cruising yacht segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC0WGJrgG2UFnKRTIuNj6MEg
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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Registries