Singapore: The Marshall Islands Registry has reported a significant increase in Asian-owned vessels joining the Registry over the past year.
International Registries, Inc. (IRI) and its affiliates, the Maritime and Corporate Administrator of the Marshall Islands, surpassed the 34m gt mark before the end of the 3Q, 2006 with 1278 ships on its books at present. The Marshall Islands is the fifth largest register in the world.
Recent registrations from Japan, Singapore and Korea contributed to this increase in tonnage. 'We put down the foundations during the last three years by building a network of offices in major maritime and commercial centres in Asia and now, that investment is paying off,' said Bill Gallagher, president of IRI..
The Registry is in the process of expanding its office in Singapore to accommodate more personnel and has recently added a point of contact in the Imabari Region in Southern Japan to assist with vessel inspections, particularly the LNG sector.
'By providing additional resources in key areas in Asia, the Registry is better positioned to not only meet the growing demands in terms of vessel registrations, but to also provide support and advice to owners and operators on a local basis," commented Annie Ng, md, International Registries (Far East) Ltd.
Recent successes in Korea have also led IRI to mull the opening of a Korean office. 'Our goal is to have as many employees overseas as at our headquarters in Virginia,' commented Gallagher. Currently IRI has 75 people at its hq and 55 others worldwide. [27/09/06]
Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. Seatrade, a trading name of Informa Markets (UK) Limited. Add Seatrade Maritime News to your Google News feed.
