The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) improved its ranking in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Port State Control’s white list, moving from sixth place to fourth this year.

The Bahamas is now below only Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway.

The Bahamian ship register also maintained its US QUALSHIP 21 (Quality Shipping for the 21st Century) status for the tenth consecutive year. The BMA said that certification serves as an industry performance indicator of quality and The Bahamas is proud to have achieved this recognition every year since 2012.

“Ensuring the excellence of our fleet is a priority for The Bahamas and every stakeholder plays their part in us meeting our quality aspirations. With quality comes safety and uninterrupted operation and it is thanks to everyone involved that Bahamas-flagged ships continue to be safe places to live and work,” BMA managing director and chief executive officer, Captain Dwain Hutchinson said.

The Paris MoU is an administrative agreement between more than two dozen maritime authorities around the world, to eliminate the operation of sub-standard ships by conducting annual inspections to ensure ships meet international safety, security and environmental standards, and that crew members have adequate living and working conditions.

“We very much appreciate that the excellent quality of the Bahamas fleet is the result of the combined efforts of the BMA team, its recognized organizations, nautical inspectors and the owners and managers of the ships, who work together to ensure that their vessels are compliant at all times with the international requirements,” BMA Assistant Director of Inspections & Surveys Department Alessandro Lo Piccolo said.

“Equally important is the contribution of seafarers onboard our flagged ships who, despite the challenges of COVID-19, have shown great dedication and commitment to maintaining and operating the vessels to the highest possible standards, with their efforts being demonstrated through these excellent results.”

The Bahamas was also designated as having low-risk ships.

There are 1,510 ships registered in The Bahamas under the BMA.

Source: https://thenassauguardian.com/bma-improves-ranking-in-quality-and-safety-list/