THE Liberian Registry has confirmed once more its position as the most safetyaware open register in the world.

The 2003 Annual Report of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control shows Liberia to be the best-performing open register on the MoU’s prestigious White List, which represents quality flags with a consistently low detention record. Liberia also out-performs a number of national registers on the White List which enjoy a reputation for safety-awareness, including Norway, France and Denmark.

Liberia is the second-largest ship register in the world. In 2003, it had over 700 ships inspected by the Paris MoU.

The Paris MoU is adopting a zero-tolerance approach to substandard shipping, and in the past year has introduced a number of measures designed to make it more difficult for what it calls ‘rustbuckets’ to operate in the region. Inclusion on the MoU’s White List brings significant benefits to shipowners, including a potential reduction in the inspection burden.

Yoram Cohen, CEO of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says, “There is only one place for a responsible, safety-aware ship register to be – and that is on the MoU White List. Liberia is proud to be there. It has been there for a long time, and that is where it will stay. Ship registry is not about politics. It is about safety. It is about environmental awareness, regulatory compliance and regard for seafarers’ welfare. And it is about those things irrespective of whether the vessel flies the flag of a national or an open registry.”

l The Liberian Registry has a track record going back more than 56 years of combining the highest standards for vessels and crews with the highest standards of responsive service to owners. It is proud to be in the top group of the Paris MOU White List of high-standard flags and the top-ranked significant registry on the USCG Port State Control rankings. Over 2,000 vessels of more than 58m gt currently fly the Liberian flag.