Could any person with coin buy a boat or ship in the Mediterranean in the Roman and Greek era? Today for example we have licenses to drive and pay taxes on vehicles, was there anything similar for boats and ships?

I know the Roman navy had anti-piracy operations and got naval domnance, but did they like arrest unknown boats at sea and ask for license and registration? Could anyone really buy or make a boat and sail off wherever they want? I know for a while every city had a different citizenship which could make you an immigrant going from Naples to Rome or Sparta to Athens.