ship registration

The OGSR team gets ready for another exciting year at Shipping 2012.

[caption]Members of the Bahamas Maritime Authority team at the Shipping 2010 event. (C) Stamford Advocate.[/caption]

The UK-based non-governmental organization Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) has introduced a set of guidelines for private security companies.

The non-governmental organization Security Association for the Maritime Industry (SAMI) has introduced a set of guidelines for private security companies.

Australia is in the process of establishing its first national set of maritime laws that would apply to all the commercial fleets across its states and territories.

The Maritime Safety National Law Act will become effective January 2013 and replace eight sets of separate regulations.

The Philippines government is responding to questions from the European Union regarding the quality of its seafarer training programs, questions which late last year had the potential to put a large proportion of the international seafarer labor supply in jeopardy.

In a tragedy being compared to the sinking of the Titanic, the Italian-flagged cruise ship Costa Concordia ran aground off the coast of Tuscany late Friday, January 13th, resulting in at least six casualties, approximately 30 injured including at least two in grave condition, and as many as 36 individuals still missing. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined.

An ICS press release elaborates upon what is involved in creating its Flag State Performance Table and the organization's hopes the Table will continue to foster quality performing registries.

The International Chamber of Shipping has released its 2011 edition of its Flag State Performance Table.

Following our article about a UK Parliament member advocating for Turkey to lift its ban on Cyprus-flagged vessels, the OGSR reached out to the Cyprus registry for further information on the embargo and how it has directly impacted their flag state.

In the latest development to United States maritime policy, Congressman Steve Cohen has re-proposed the American Coastal Waters and Shorelines Protection Act – a bill that would require offshore vessels drilling in U.S. waters to be nationally flagged.

The Australian Government has announced major reforms to its maritime sector with the goal of strengthening the industry to the level of a global shipping power.

The reform package entails four key components: