[By: Liberian Registry]
The Liberian Registry is now officially listed in the United States Coast Guard’s list of Qualship 21 flag State Administrations. Qualship 21 is the United States Coast Guard (USCG) program that was implemented to identify high-quality ships and provide incentives to encourage quality operations. Liberia was notified in March of 2022 that all Liberian flagged vessels would be eligible to enroll in the Qualship 21 program on July 1, 2022 onward. Liberia is now the largest flag State Administration in the world to be enrolled in the Qualship 21 program.
Liberia’s quality performance is not limited to just the United States though. The Paris MOU has recently released their annual port State control report, and Liberia continues to be on the Paris MOU White List. Since the introduction of the White List in 1999, Liberia has always been white listed.
When it comes to recent Port State Control compliance in the United States, Liberia has been simply the best. Since the beginning of 2021, The Liberian Registry has the lowest detention rate of any of the major flag States. This rise in quality parallels the Registry’s continued meteoric fleet growth that started in 2019, and continues now into 2022, with Liberia continuing to be the fastest growing ship registry in the world at a growth rate of 5.5% which translates to 13 Million Gross Tons.
Vessel owners and operators that fly the Liberian flag can now enroll in the Qualship 21 program and enjoy the added benefits from the program to include: their vessel being recognized by the USCG with a Qualship 21 certificate; being listed on the USCG and EQUASIS websites for achieving Qualship 21; and receiving reduced number of inspections and oversight from the USCG.
Chief Executive Officer of the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) Alfonso Castillero commented: “We are very pleased to be back in Qualship 21! We thank our vessel owners and operators for their strong commitment to safety and compliance. This achievement is also supported by our dedicated staff at the Registry across the globe and the 24/7 support they provide to the fleet. To also be back on the Paris MOU White List for yet another year, over 20 in a row now, is fantastic. All this quality recognition of our fleet’s commitment and focus on safety while we also increase our fleet size continuously may seem amazing, but for us at the Registry it is to be expected. We have made the necessary financial and time investments in systems, technologies, and people. The Liberian flag attracts the best shipowners and operators in the world. All this is evident in the performance of the fleet, and how we continue to keep up with our fleet growth in a responsible and safety focused manner.”
