(www.MaritimeCyprus.com)Â The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) has published its annual Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table 2022/2023 with the Cyprus Flag continuing to perform to an exceptionally high standard.
The ICS Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table brings together data available in the public domain regarding the performance of flag states in terms of, inter alia, Port State Control records, ratification of international Conventions, and IMO meeting attendance. It is intended to encourage shipowners to maintain a dialogue with their flag administrations to help bring about any improvements that might be necessary in the interests of safety, the environment and decent working conditions.
The ICS Flag State Performance Table provides an invaluable indicator of the performance of individual flag states worldwide. It analyses how the countries included delivering against a number of criteria such as Port State Control (PSC) records, ratification of international maritime Conventions and attendance at IMO meetings.
There is nothing inherently unusual in an international ship registry system in which the owner of a ship may be located in a country other than the State whose flag the ship flies. However, a balance has to be struck between the commercial advantages of selecting a particular flag and the need to discourage the use of flags that do not meet their international obligations.
The purpose of this Flag State Performance Table is two-fold:
• To encourage shipowners and operators to examine whether a flag State has sufficient substance before using it.
• To encourage shipowners and operators to put pressure on their flag Administrations to affect any improvements that might be necessary, especially in relation to safety of life at sea, the protection of the marine environment, and the provision of decent working and living conditions for seafarers.
Results:
This year 67.6% of flag states reported on their ILO audit commitments, an increase of 25% on the previous year where only 42.9% of reports were submitted, representing a growing awareness of the importance of this area of reporting.
Continuing to increase the levels of reporting on labour standards is vital to maintain seafarer welfare. As the shipping industry moves towards further digitalization and a green transition, there will be changes to the way seafarers work.
How to use the Table
This Table summarises factual information in the public domain that might be helpful in assessing the performance of flag States. Sources are shown in the footnotes at the end of this report.
Positive performance indicators are shown as green squares on the Table.
Like all datasets, the Table needs to be used with care. Where a flag State is missing a single positive indicator, in itself this does not provide a reliable measurement of performance. For example, a flag State might be unable to ratify a Convention due to conflict with domestic law but might nevertheless implement its main requirements. Equally, a flag State may not be listed on a Port State Control ‘white list’ because it does not make any port calls in that PSC region.
However, if a large number of positive indicators are shown as being absent, this might suggest that performance is unsatisfactory and that shipping companies should ask further questions of the flag State concerned.
Click on below image to download ICSÂ Flag State Performance Table 2022/2023.
Source: International Chamber of Shipping
