New performance lists for flag states

The Paris MoU on Port State Control is in effect a check on foreign vessels to verify international compliance on safety, pollution prevention and living and working conditions. It was introduced in 1982 and 27 countries are currently members. The EC, although not a signatory, sits on the committee.

The new White, Grey and Black (WGB) list rates quality flags through to flags with a poor performance that are considered at high or very high risk. It is based on 80 flags’ inspections and detentions over a three year rolling period.

The 2011 WGB list reveals 43 flags on the white list with a consistently low detention rate. New additions are the Faroe Islands, Vanuatu, Latvia and the Islamic Republic of Iran – which were on the grey list last year.

Germany ranks the highest in terms of performance followed by Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands and the UK.

Flags with an average performance on the grey list total 20 down from 24 flags. New to the grey list is Saint Vincent and the Grenadines which has done well by moving up from the black list. But Kazakhstan and India have both moved down from the white list.

The poorest performing flags on the black list this time were Libya, Bolivia and Togo. New to the black list are Honduras and Dominica.

A flag’s ranking is taken into account when targeting ships for future inspection. Ships flying flags listed on the black and grey list are liable for banning from the region after multiple detentions.

Among the best performing recognised organisations for 2011 were the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and the China Classification Society (CCS).

The lowest performing recognised organisations were the Phoenix Register of Shipping (PHRS), the Register of Shipping (RSA) and the International Register of Shipping (IS).