The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published the latest version of its Flag State Performance Table, ICS said in its press release.
The Table provides a helpful indication of the performance of individual flag states worldwide, which analyses how the administrations included deliver against a number of criteria such as port state control records, ratification of international maritime Conventions and attendance at IMO meetings. This year, a new criteria on participation in the ‘IMO Member State Audit Scheme’ has been included.
ICS Deputy Secretary General, Simon Bennett, remarked: “Following the entry into force of amendments to the relevant IMO Conventions, the IMO Member State Audit Scheme has become mandatory. This is a significant development that should make further contributions to improving maritime safety and the prevention of pollution.”
He added, “ICS also recently released a new interactive version of the Table, which contains a search facility and allows users to compare and contrast the performance of up to four flag states at a time”.
The 2017/2018 Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table is currently being distributed among ICS national shipowners’ associations and their member companies, which cover over 80% of the world merchant fleet.