Flag State News

The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) is implementing necessary measures to refine its merchant fleet to safeguard its reputation.Under Executive Decree No. 512, if the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine (DGGM) becomes aware that a vessel within Panama’s merchant fleet, or its owner, appears on one of the international sanctions’ lists referenced in this legal framework, a deregistration process is immediately initiated.Since its enactment, the decree has been applied to 125 vessels…

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry’s long-term and consistent commitment to high quality shipping continues to be recognized by the United States Coast Guard (USCG). For the 21st consecutive year, the RMI remains a qualifying jurisdiction. It is the only one of the world’s three largest registries to achieve QUALSHIP 21 for this year and the only registry in the world to achieve 21 consecutive years.“Our focus on compliance goes beyond statistics and requirements,” commented Bill Gallagher, President of International Registries, Inc.

The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has issued its annual Flag State Performance Table for 2024/25, voicing concerns about four newcomers.The Table provides an analysis of the extent to which flag State administrations adhere to their responsibilities to follow global standards and regulations governing safety, environmental protection and the employment conditions of seafarers – as adopted by the IMO and ILO.The latest ICS Table confirms that the vast majority of the global shipping industry is registered with flag States that strictly enforce global regulations…

The Panama Maritime Authority has initiated the expedited cancellation of six Panamanian vessels included in the UK Sanctions List – Consolidated List of Financial Sanctions Targets in the UK.The six ships were added to the UK list on November 25.“The State has the responsibility to guarantee the well-being of the Panamanian Registry, free of international sanctions and of vessels linked to or included in sanctions lists that may affect the prestige of the flag. This is a priority issue for this administration…

The renewal of the Panama merchant fleet is one of the quality objectives of the Panama Maritime Authority (PMA), which is why the entry of vessels under 15 years of age to the Panama Ship Registry is being prioritized.As a result, 57% of ships registered in 2024 have an average age of four years. These vessels come mainly from the Asian market, a region in which the Panamanian Registry has technical offices (Japan, Singapore, South Korea, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines).Among the strategies to improve the PMA indicators is also the recruitment of newly built vessels.

Maritime Authority of Jamaica’s Director General, Rear Admiral (ret’d) Peter Brady, has retired, with the position being accepted by Bertrand Smith, formerly the MAJ’s Director of Legal Affairs.Brady has served in this role since the Maritime Authority’s inception in 1999.As Director General, he was primarily responsible for elevating Jamaica’s maritime status regionally and globally. He spearheaded several major initiatives by the MAJ including the development of Jamaica as a shipping hub with attendant services such as bunkering and drydocking…

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has banned the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier KMAX Leader from entering Australian ports for 12 months, effective February 15, 2024.The ban was instigated as a result of serious safety violations and breaches of Australian legislation committed by the ship’s master and owner while in Gladstone Harbour.KMAX Leader first experienced mechanical issues on October 26, 2023, reporting unidentified engine room vibrations.On October 28, the ship’s agent advised work had commenced on the mechanical issues and would take eight to 10 days to complete.

The Paris MoU Committee has approved the 2022 inspection results and adopted new performance lists for flag States and Recognized Organizations (ROs), with Denmark topping the White List and Cameroon at the bottom of the Black List.The White List represents quality flags with a consistently low detention record. Calculations are based on the number of inspections and detentions during a three-year rolling period for flags with at least 30 inspections over that period. In this period…

Despite a steady increase in port state control detention rates following the pandemic in all regions, INTERCARGO-entered vessels consistently outdid industry performance indicators in both deficiencies and detentions, as shown by the latest edition of its annual Benchmarking Report.Deficiencies per inspection (DPI) rates remain unchanged and in line with previous years’ Benchmarking Reports, the 11 leading Class Societies (IACS Members), which class over 95% of the bulk carrier market…

The US Coast Guard’s Office of Commercial Vessel Compliance has released its U.S. Port State Control Annual Report for 2022, with Latvia noted as having the highest detention ratio, ahead of Bolivia.The report lists highest risk flag administrations based on their 2020-2022 detention ratio as: Latvia (57.14%), Bolivia (31.25%), Togo (7.69%), Curacao (4.88%), Italy (3.39%), Turkey (2.90%) and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2.30%).Medium risk flag administrations were Cyprus…

The annual Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table, published today from the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), highlights a 25% increase in flag states reporting on seafarer labor standards compared to last year. Each year flag states must report on labor standards as part of their ILO audit commitments. Some of the labor standards specific to seafarers include repatriation of seafarers, accommodation provision, health protection and medical care. This year 67.6% of flag states reported on their ILO audit commitments…