Censu Galea

Every year over 1000 individual ships call at Malta’s main Commercial Ports and the Inspection Rate for this year will be well above the 25% threshold required by International Obligations

“In the same way that we want to avoid flag and class hopping we should also not allow port shopping. There must come a day when sub-standard vessels can trade no longer and as a result of regional and inter-regional cooperation strengthening the circle of responsibility, sub-standard operators are driven out of the industry.”

This was stressed upon by Competitiveness and Communications Minister Censu Galea when addressing the Second Joint Ministerial Conference of the Paris and Tokyo Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) on Port State Control.

The Conference, which is being held in Vancouver, Canada, is entitled "Strengthening the Circle of Responsibility” and focuses on global and regional cooperation between states and the principle of eliminating sub-standard shipping posing a threat to safety at sea.

The Paris and Tokyo MOUs consist of various participating Maritime Administrations ensuring that ships meet international safety, security and environmental standards, and that crew members have adequate living and working conditions.

In addressing the Conference, Minister Censu Galea said that Ministers convened for this meeting are reaffirming a strong international political message in that sub-standard shipping is a threat to safety of life at sea, the seafaring industry and its profession, and to the fair competition for the many ship owners and port authorities adhering to responsible operators. “The Maltese government has declared and practised the promotion of quality shipping, also in line with the goals of the International Maritime Organisation to encourage and facilitate the general adoption of the highest practicable standards in matters concerning maritime safety and security and the prevention, and control, of marine pollution from ships,” said the Minister.

Ship owners registered under the Maltese flag, one of the largest flag states in the world, have in their large majority responded positively to the national commitment with respect to quality shipping. “However, without obliterating the fact that first responsibility lies with the ship-owner and that first State obligations lie with the flag State, we maintain that the state of the port visited by a vessel also has an important and responsible function to carry out,” stressed Mr Galea, adding that “every year there are over 1000 individual ships calling at Malta’s main commercial ports and the inspection rate for this year will be well above the 25% threshold required by international obligations.”

The Malta Maritime Authority, responsible for Port State Control will continue recruiting suitably qualified inspectors in order to ensure a sufficient number of personnel. The Authority is a founder member and active player in the Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding on Port State Control, currently covering ports in the central and south Mediterranean and part of the Red Sea.

“Cooperation between Mediterranean States ensures a constant upgrade of maritime administrations, thus contributing towards the elimination of sub-standard shipping within the region. As from this year Malta has gone a step further in becoming a member state to the Paris Memorandum of Understanding, therefore giving significant value to our commitment in attaining the required standards, and fulfilling our obligations in terms of EU and domestic legislation,” said the Competitiveness and Communications Minister.

In his concluding remarks at the Conference, Minister Censu Galea spoke about the significance for a global drive towards maritime safety aimed at achieving higher standards and completely eliminating sub-standards ones.

The Paris Memorandum of Understanding stipulates inspection of a minimum percentage of vessels entering MOU ports, the establishment of standardised inspections, detention and reporting procedures; the development of a computerised ship inspection database; a harmonised training procedure for inspectors and a regular publication of inspection and detention statistics within the region.

In addition to the Paris and Tokyo Memorandum of Understandings, other regional agreements include cooperation between the South American, Caribbean, the Mediterranean of which Malta is a founding member together with 7 other states; the Indian Ocean, West & Central Africa and the Black Sea regions.