Antigua and Barbuda

Antigua and Barbuda is a parliamentary democracy headed by the British Queen through a local Governor. It is located in the Eastern Caribbean and is comprised of three islands: Antigua, Barbuda, and the uninhabited Redondo. Independent from Great Britain since 1981, it is a member of the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, and the Commonwealth of Nations. The capital is St. John’s, and the official language is English. The chief industries are manufacturing and tourism, and the monetary unit is the East Caribbean dollar.

The Department of Marine Services and Merchant Shipping implements the Merchant Shipping Act of 1985 which came into force on January 1, 1986. The designated port of registry is St. John’s, Antigua. The Register’s largest client base to date has been Germany with eighty percent of Antigua and Barbuda registered ships hailing from that nation. A local representative in Hamburg has facilitated those ties. It provides full convention registration and has entered bilateral trading agreements with major sea trading nations.

The Register has ratified the key international conventions with the exception of ILO 147 concerned with minimum shipboard standards for seafarers.

Antigua and Barbuda is a full member of the Caribbean MOU on Port State Control. During the last years, Antigua & Barbuda has been in the White List of the Paris - and Tokyo MOUs for flags with the best record in Port State Control inspections.