Continuing to solidify its status as one of the most prominent and reputable flag states within the global maritime industry, Malta has recently been recognised by the United States Coast Guard (USGC) under the QUALSHIP21 initiative; a programme which rewards companies, operators and vessels which demonstrate the highest level of compliance in terms of quality and safety with respect to international standards and US laws and regulations.
"This achievement was registered during a time when the Malta's ship registry was still registering growth and expansion in terms of tonnage. Achieving the QUALSHIP 21 certificate for the first time in these challenging times gives us more courage to invest further in the maritime industry to obtain more added value in our economy. This is also another clear message to our partners that we are committed to quality, and we value their confidence in the Malta flag." said the Minister for Transport and Infrastructure, Mr Aaron Farrugia.
Such achievement adds to the record number of registered tonnage under the Malta flag. In fact, Malta is the 6th largest register worldwide and 1st in Europe vis-à-vis registered tonnage and is classified very highly on the white list of both the Tokyo and Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). An MOU white list consists of those flags which are deemed to be of high quality and upkeep a consistently low detention record, thus resulting in a list of the best and most powerful flag states. The Paris MOU is the official agreement between the 27 participating maritime authorities which implement a harmonized system of port state control (PSC), and similarly, the Tokyo MOU focuses more on the Asia-Pacific region and is recognised as of one of the most active regional PSC organisations in the world.
Milestones and landmark achievements like the ones mentioned above are clear indicators that Malta is a top-performing flag state in terms of international standard compliance.
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