SHIP REGISTRY
Panama’s ship registry has seen a reduction in fleet age
2008 certification given by Lloyd’s Register Quality Assurance.
On May 2011, the Paris MoU moved Panama to its White List due to constant efforts by the Panama Registry and a number of measures taken to reduce the number of detentions in Paris MoU. It is the first time in history that the Panama Flag had made the White List.
In August 2008, after being blacklisted by the Paris MoU, the Panama Maritime Authority’s Merchant Marine Directorate issued a resolution requiring vessels more than 20 years old to submit to a check by an inspection from a Recognised Organisation (RO) before docking at a port within the Paris MoU. Failure to do could result in ‘being deleted from the registry or subject to a fine,’ the authority warned at the time. In addition, any vessel of that age that has been detained twice in six months will be cancelled from the register. Because of this measure, the
register deleted a number of vessels and others have left the Registry for other flags, explains Castillero noting that ‘all the vessels were over 20 years old and with bad records.’
‘Even if the measures [taken by Panama] were strongly criticised at the time, we feel that they were adequate and the results [entering in the White List for the first time] are here to prove it,’ says Castillero.
Panama’s Registry requires that the vessel sailing the country’s flag comply with the requirements established by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the rules of the International Maritime Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), the International Convention for the Prevention of Marine Pollution from ships (MARPOL), regulations from the ISM Code and ISPS Code.
Moreover, it is required that vessels comply with the International Convention on Standards of Training Certification
and Watch keeping for Seafarers, 1978, as amended in 1995 (STCW). Governments have to provide relevant information to
IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee which will judge if the country meets or not the requirements of the conventions. The Panama Maritime Authority is taking actions to be prepared for the implementation of the Manila amended to the STCW Convention and its associated Code that will enter into force January 1, 2012.
Furthermore, the AMP is implementing the SOLAS and Load Line Protocol 88 and the Convention on Facilitation of International Maritime Traffic (FAL) 1965 all approved and ratified in 2008 by Panama’s National Assembly. The Convention should ultimately render a ‘unique document,’ familiar to every Contracting Government of FAL-65, for arriving vessels. In particular, the Convention reduces to just eight the number of declarations that may be
The Panama Registry is currently on the Paris MoU White List 38
PANAMA MARITIME REVIEW 2011/12
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