National registries

The United Nations Conference of Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has released its 2013 Review of Maritime Transport (RMT), which highlights trends within the industry including ship registration.

Following is an excerpt from the report. A PDF version with accompanying charts is available here.

Attorney Sören Thorlin of Skarp Stockholm Advokatbyrå argues that Sweden needs to establish a tonnage tax regime and establish an international registry if it wants to remain competitive as a maritime nation.

The Swedish fleet stands at a crossroads as it sees its numbers decline while Finland is experiencing an uptick in registrations. Fairplay reports:

Sweden’s flag fall swells Finnish coffers

The Isle of Man Ship Registry's success over the past ten years demonstrates that small states can become strong maritime powers.

The state, whose size measures approximately three times the area of Washington, D.C., places 20th worldwide as measured by gross tonnage, with a fleet size of 15 million gross tons.

A recent Lloyd's List article suggests that the International Transport Workers Federation may be developing its understanding of the relationship between registry type and quality.

A recent Lloyd's List article suggests that the International Transport Workers Federation may be developing its understanding of the relationship between registry type and quality.