The flag of Malta receives a high rank in US ports
Continuing to solidify its status as one of the most prominent and reputable flag states within the global maritime industry, Malta has recently been recognized by the United States Coast Guard (USGC) under the QUALSHIP21 initiative; a program that rewards companies, operators and vessels that demonstrate the highest level of compliance in terms of quality and safety with respect to international standards and U.S. laws and regulations.
“This achievement was recorded at a time when the Maltese ship register was still registering growth and expansion in terms of tonnage. Obtaining the QUALSHIP 21 certificate for the first time in these challenging times gives us more courage to invest more in the maritime industry to gain more added value in our economy. This is also another clear message to our partners that we are committed to quality, and we appreciate their trust in the Maltese flag. ” said the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Mr Aaron Farrugia.
Such an achievement adds to the record number of tonnages registered under the flag of Malta. In fact, Malta is the 6th largest register in the world and the 1st in Europe vis-à-vis registered tonnage and is highly ranked on the white list of both the Memorandum of Understanding ( MOU) of Tokyo as well as of Paris. A white list of MOUs consists of those flags which are considered to be of high quality and which maintain a consistently low detention record, thus resulting in a list of the best and strongest states of the MOU. flag. The Paris MOU is the official agreement between the 27 participating maritime authorities implementing a harmonized port state control system (PSC), and similarly, the Tokyo MOU focuses more on the Asia-Pacific region and is recognized as one of the most active. regional PSC organizations in the world.
Historical milestones and achievements such as those mentioned above are clear indicators that Malta is a flag state with the highest performance in terms of compliance with international standards.
Source: KPMG