The Gibraltar Ship Registry has received yet another major endorsement of its standing as a quality flag for merchant ships.
Two years ago the register achieved the much-coveted White List status within the Paris MoU, the international governmental organisation that monitors the safety standards of ships calling in Europe and Canada.
This summer, as well as improving its ranking in the White List, the register was invited to join the US Coastguard’s QualShip 21 program, a scheme run in the US.
This is an important recognition because only 11 registers are listed in QualShip 21 and US maritime safety standards are among the strictest in the world.
Gibraltar, along with the UK, is just one of two members of the Red Ensign Group of British registers to qualify for membership of the US scheme.
The achievements will translate into new business for the Gibraltar flag because reputable shipowners whose vessels trade to the US and Europe prefer to register their vessels with countries that are well viewed by inspectors in the ports where they call.
The focus on attracting quality tonnage has been the top priority for successive maritime administrators in Gibraltar over the past decade, but has intensified even further under the stewardship of the latest incumbent in the post.
Alan Cubbin, who took over from Tony Nation last January, was formerly a senior official at the UK Maritime Coastguard Agency and has held a number of critical safety-related posts at international organisations including the Paris MoU and the European Maritime Safety Agency.
Mr Cubbin said maintaining high standards was a key factor in attracting good owners, who would then benefit from both their own and the administration’s efforts.
Membership of QualShip 21, for example, means any Gibraltar-flag vessels trading to US ports would have a reduced target factor when assessed by port state control inspectors who carry out random checks on ships in US ports.
A similar benefit is conferred by the Paris MoU. “It doesn’t mean you won’t get inspected, but it reduces the chances,” Mr Cubbin said.
The Gibraltar flag has grown dramatically over the past decade.
In 1997 there were just 27 ships on the register. By the middle of this year, that figure had risen to 273 vessels, representing nearly 1.7m gross tonnes in tonnage terms.
This is a young fleet, with the average age of Gibraltar-registered vessels currently at eight years, pushed down by a large number of newly-built vessels coming onto the books.
The number of seafarers certified by the Gibraltar Maritime Administration to sail on Gibraltar-flag ships has also risen sharply in recent years, mirroring the growth of the flag as a whole.
The administration, working alongside the vessel operator, is responsible for ensuring seafarers on Gibraltar-registered ships hold valid certificates appropriate to their rank and qualifications.
Last year alone, the administration endorsed 2,192 seafarers and issued provisional papers to a further 1,995, bringing the total for the preceding five years to 6,286 and 5,242 respectively.
To illustrate the growth, in 2002 the number of seafarers endorsed by the administration – including provisional certification – was less than 1000.