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Panama Ship Registry boosts flag inspection programmePanama Ship Registry boosts flag inspection programme

Panama Ship Registry has introduced measures to strengthen its flag inspection programme, with emphasis on vessels calling at US ports eligible for a US Coast Guard’s Port State Inspection (PSC) and improving control and compliance rate of the fleet.

Michele Labrut, Americas Correspondent

August 26, 2022

1 Min Read
A Port State Control inspector on board ship
Photo: Panama Ship Registry

The measures are designed to ensure compliance with safety, security, and environmental standards.

A series of actions aim at making the Panamanian fleet part of the US Coast Guard's QUALSHIP 21 program, where, at the end of July, the Registry has an average compliance rate of 98.97% for the last 3 years.

Those measures include flag inspection mechanism for vessels arriving at U.S. ports, based on risk factor; special inspection for vessels arriving at US ports whose history makes them candidates for a Port State Inspection (PSC) by the USCG; pre-arrival checklist for Panama-flagged vessels arriving at US ports to find weak elements that may be grounds for detention through PSC inspections by the US Coast Guard.  In addition, all Panama-flagged vessels transiting or visiting Panamanian ports prior to arrival in the United States may be subject to a special Security Screening Inspection (SSA), to avoid possible detention in the region.

The Register has also reinforced some mechanisms to improve the fleet performance in the different regions supervised by the Port State control

that will detect and act against vessels detained multiple times and impose sanctions to Recognised Organisations (RO) and / or ships, who have shown serious faults affecting the image of the Panamanian registry.

Related:Panama Ship Registry grows by 9.6% in three years

Vessels arriving in Australian ports will be submitted to pre-arrival checklist, to avoid detention, through Port State Control Inspections by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority; annual flag inspection for vessels operating in the Paris MoU and for those over 20 years of age every six months.

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About the Author

Michele Labrut

Americas Correspondent

Michèle Labrut is a long-time Panama resident, a journalist and correspondent, and has continuously covered the maritime sector of Central & Latin America.

Michèle first came to Panama as a press attaché to the French Embassy and then returned to the isthmus as a foreign correspondent in the 1980s.

Author of Seatrade Maritime's annual Panama Maritime Review magazine and of several books, Michèle also wrote for Time magazine, The Miami Herald, NBC News and the Economist Intelligence Unit. She has also collaborated in making several documentaries for the BBC and European and U.S. television networks.

Michèle's profession necessitates a profound knowledge of the country, but her acumen is not from necessity alone, but a genuine passion for Panama.

In 2012 she was awarded the Order of Merit (Knight grade) by the French Government for her services to international journalism and in 2021 the upgrade to Chevalier grade.

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