Democratic Republic of the Congo fares the worst in flag survey

Democratic Republic of the Congo fares the worst in flag survey
Sam Chambers January 24, 2024 https://splash247.com/democratic-republic-of-the-congo-fares-the-worst-i...

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has been named as the worst shipping flag among more than 100 registries surveyed in an annual report compiled by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). The DRC is joined by Comoros, Togo and Algeria as the worst performers in the ICS’s 2023/2024 Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table which the shipping body said in a release ought to encourage shipowners and operators to examine whether a flag state has sufficient substance before using it.

The table is based on the most up-to-date data available and takes into account Port State Control records of ships flying a particular flag, ratifications of major international maritime treaties, the use of recognised organisations in compliance with the International Maritime Organization (IMO, the age of a flagged fleet, reporting requirements, attendance at IMO meetings as well as results from the IMO’s audit scheme.

“I encourage shipowners and operators to use this vital tool to examine whether a flag state has sufficient substance before using it, and to put pressure on their flag administrations to affect any improvements that might be necessary,” said Guy Platten, secretary-general of the ICS.

Although an exhaustive study, the ICS table does not cover all flags. Among notable omissions from the table is Gabon, last year’s fastest-growing shipping registry. In the opening days of 2024, its growth has been phenomenal thanks to a massive reflagging operation conducted by Russia’s top shipping concern, Sovcomflot.

Last year, the Gabon flag grew by 130.6%, according to data from Clarksons Research. The registry has won enormous amounts of tonnage in the close to two years since Russia invaded Ukraine becoming the number one flag for Russia’s dark fleet.

Gabon outsources its flag services to a company registered in the United Arab Emirates called Intershipping Services, which is controlled by the Shaikh family from India who also control the Comoros flag as well as Union Marine Classification Services, a recently created alternative classification society based in Dubai.