2003. By June 30, 2004 some 32,389 documents had been issued by the Maritime Administration, comprising 3,651 officer certificates of competency, 7,157 seafarer identification record books (SIRBs) and 21,581 special qualification certificates (SQCs). The rise in the volume of crew paperwork highlights not only the current growth of the Marshall Islands flag fleet, which has expanded by 23 percent in tonnage terms, reaching 22 million gross tons in the second quarter of 2004, but also the increased vigilance the Maritime Administration is giving to the issue of seafarer documentation. ³We believe that prevention is better than cure,² states Capt. Robert A. Fay, Vice President, Seafarers¹ Documentation with International Registries, Inc.