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Marshall Islands sets new milestone with QUALSHIP 21

Photo: IRI Bill Gallagher of IRI
The Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry has set a new milestone by achieving 19 consecutive years on the United States Coast Guard’s (USCG’s) QUALSHIP 21 programme.

The RMI says it is the only one of the world’s three largest registries to consistently achieve QUALSHIP 21 status.

More than 1,350 RMI flagged vessels were enrolled in programme as of 14 March 2023, representing approximately one third of the QUALSHIP 21 vessels worldwide.

“We take our commitment to high-quality and safe vessel operation seriously. It is the focus of everything that we do,” said Bill Gallagher, President of International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI), which provide administrative and technical support to the RMI Registry. “We work closely with our owners, operators, and teams around the world to facilitate high levels of compliance, and actively engage in supporting our clients’ compliance efforts.”

With the industry’s significant attention on sustainability and decarbonisation, IRI has enhanced resources and capabilities in key technical and customer service areas to support RMI owners and operators in compliance with forthcoming regulatory changes.

The Registry has named Rafael Riva, Vice President, Client Relations, at Houston office, and the promotion and promoted Tom Bremer to Vice President, Fleet Quality and Compliance. Rafael Riva comes to IRI after nearly 19 years with Lloyd’s Register where he specialised in LNG and LPG. Tom Bremer, based in the Baltimore/Annapolis office, serves as a liaison between the worldwide fleet operations teams and clients, with a focus on supporting clients’ compliance especially for fleets calling on ports in the United States.

“It’s clear that the market will continue to explore and develop alternative and renewable energies,” said Simon Bonnett, Chief Maritime Officer. “Our clients need to know that their flag has the in-house technical experts and client support capabilities to answer questions and provide guidance as they determine their path to 2050. We are expanding our team to ensure we have experienced and knowledgeable resources available to them worldwide.”

“Compliance is not a static achievement,” said Bill Gallagher. “We constantly review our processes, procedures, teams, and capabilities to find ways to enhance and strengthen our fleet’s compliance. That constant striving to do better is how we have achieved this new milestone, and I am exceptionally proud of our team, owners, and operators for the collective efforts that led to this recognition.

TAGS: Americas