Michalis Pantazopoulos News

Liberia has confirmed its position as the leading flag of choice for Greek ship owners and operators, according to statistics produced by the independent research and information organisation Marine Information Services (MIS) in Greece. The MIS figures show that the Greek merchant fleet now includes 1,037 Liberian-flag ships. Liberia also leads the way in terms of total deadweight tonnage registered under its flag by Greek owners, aggregating 78m dwt. Michalis Pantazopoulos, Senior Vice-President of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry in Greece, says, “The MIS figures measure fleet size in numbers of ships and total deadweight tonnage, which are the parameters used by the International Maritime Organization and widely recognised throughout the industry.

Liberia has become the first flag state to participate in the Green Award program, under which eligible shipowners will be offered significant annual tonnage tax discounts. Green Award is a global, independent, not-for-profit quality assurance organisation which certifies ship managers and vessels that go beyond industry standards in terms of safety, quality and environmental performance. The scheme brings together ship managers who are willing to improve the safety and environmental performance of their vessels…

Figures released by the Greek Shipping Co-operation Committee (GSCC) show that Liberia has cemented its position as the undisputed leading open registry of choice for Greek shipowners. The GSCC statistics show that, in the year to end-March 2016, the gross tonnage of Greek-controlled ships in the Liberian Registry increased by 995,781 gt. Liberia, with 744 vessels aggregating 54.74m dwt, is second only to Greece itself in terms of the number of Greek-owned ships flying its flag, and comfortably ahead of the Marshall Islands in third place.

Figures released by the Greek Shipping Cooperation Committee (GSCC) show that Liberia has further strengthened its position as the undisputed leading open registry of choice for Greek shipowners and operators. The GSCC statistics show that, in the year to end-March 2015, the number of Greek-controlled ships in the Liberian Registry increased by a net total of 61 vessels, more than any other registry in the world. In the process, the Liberian Registry moved closer to the Greek flag, which recorded a net total of 20 new registrations in the 12-month period.

Liberia has become the flag of choice for Greek ship owners and operators, securing the leading position for the first time in more than forty years since the early seventies. Figures produced by the Greek publication Shipping & Finance, which bases its findings on data from the Marine Information Services database for Greek and Cypriot shipping companies, confirm that the Greek merchant fleet now includes 800 Liberian-flag ships, ten more than registered under the Greek flag, and 300 more than are registered under the flag of Panama.

THE Liberian Registry has awarded an honorary Master’s Licence to the Revd Canon Ken Peters, Director of Justice & Welfare for the Mission to Seafarers, in recognition of the generous and continued support he has provided in connection with Liberia’s Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006) Inspector Training Courses. Presenting the award during the Mission to Seafarers Reception held at Lambeth Palace in London on September 27, Michalis Pantazopoulos, Senior Vice-President of the Liberian Registry…