Russia to enter Tokyo Memorandum "white list" in 2007 - Reshetov
Russia will enter Tokyo Memorandum "white list" in 2007, Nickolai Reshetov, Director General of Russian Maritime Registry of Shipping, reported at the press conference, according to a correspondent of PortNews IAA. He reminded that Russia is in a "gray list" of Tokyo and Paris Memorandums – somewhere between "white" and "black" lists. According to him, there are about 300 companies in Russia, which operate marine vessels with gross tonnage of 500 and more units. Al of them violate International Code in some way or other. Reshetov also said that large efforts taken by the Registry, Rsmorrechflot, including numerous seminars, contributed to future entering of the white list. He also noted that amount of detained Russian flag vessels is getting less day by day - "Our results are very good and we have good possibilities for entering of the white list".
Tokyo Memorandum was signed on December 1, 1993 with effective date on April 1, 1994. Today Tokyo Memorandum includes 18 marine Administrations: Australia, Canada, Chili, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, Vanuatu and Vietnam. Marine Authorities of Brunei, Macao, Solomon Islands and USA, as well as International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Labor Organization (ILO), Economic and Social Committee on Asia and Pacific Ocean (ESCAPO), Secretariats of Paris Memorandum, Memorandum of India Ocean and Latin America Agreement on Port Control are supervisors of Tokyo Memorandum.
Highest positions of the list are taken by Finland, France, Isle of Man and Great Britain. New members of the "white list" are Azerbaijan, Belgium, Cyprus, Gibraltar, Malta, Saudi Arabia and Spain. All in all there are 34 states in the "white list".
The "white lists" of Tokyo and Paris Memorandum of Understanding include states with permanent low number of arrests.