Maritime authority maintains top 10 ranking in Paris MoU white list

For the seventh consecutive year, the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) has been placed in the top ten flag states in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control’s white list.

The Paris MoU is an administrative agreement between more than two dozen maritime authorities around the world to eliminate the operation of sub-standard ships by conducting annual inspections to ensure ships meet international safety, security and environmental standards and that crew members have adequate living and working conditions.

As of July, The Bahamas ranked sixth in the world on the Paris MoU white list, behind the Netherlands, Bermuda, the Marshall Islands, Norway and Denmark.

The Bahamas was also designated as having low-risk ships.

There are 1,510 ships registered in The Bahamas under the BMA.

“We are very pleased to note that The Bahamas remains in the top 10 flag states in the Paris MoU white list for the seventh consecutive year. To have maintained our top 10 position in such a difficult year is a testament to the owners and managers of Bahamian ships and their masters, officers and crew,” BMA Deputy Director, Inspections and Surveys Department Stephen Keenan said.

“We take the opportunity to express our gratitude to them and to thank our recognized organizations, inspectors and staff, for their continuous commitment to maintaining standards at the highest level.”

The BMA stated that the ranking is particularly remarkable given the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic created in relation to inspections in the past year.

“The pandemic has created challenges for the entire maritime sector, but the Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) has made use of technology to ensure that ships registered in The Bahamas continue to be operated and managed efficiently and safely,” the BMA noted in a statement.

“The support and advice that the BMA provides to owners and managers to assist them with port state control and regulatory compliance issues, as well as the regular flag state inspections, statutory audits and surveys of the fleet that have been undertaken remotely during the past year, ensure its ships comply in all respects with the international conventions and uphold the reputation of The Bahamas.”

The post Maritime authority maintains top 10 ranking in Paris MoU white list appeared first on The Nassau Guardian.

source https://thenassauguardian.com/maritime-authority-maintains-top-10-ranking-in-paris-mou-white-list/