Ship registration

New details are surfacing about the shipwreck of the Raptor freighter vessel, which sank off the coast of Lesvos on Sunday. With one confirmed fatality, one survivor, and 12 crew members still missing, indications point to the vessel being blacklisted by the Port State Control (PSC) regimes of the Paris MOU and the Black Sea MOU.

From April 8, access to Bulgarian sea and river ports to ships, certified in the Russian Maritime Ship Register, is prohibited. This is written on the website of the Executive Agency "Maritime Administration".

From 00:00 on April 8, 2023, access is prohibited for all vessels, regardless of flag, that are certified by the Russian registry.

Following Türkiye's armed drones, the unmanned marine vessel of Türkiye, MARLIN SİDA, would be a game changer in the field of unmanned surface watercraft, Türkiye's Defense Industries President İsmail Demir said on Sept. 15.

Hong Kong and Turkey have signed an agreement that would allow Turkish seafarers to work in Hong Kong-flagged ships, according to a statement from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure on Dec. 18. 

Turkey aims to get the highest share of employment in the developing ship fleets in the world with its increasing training capacity, it said.

More private investment in ports, incentives for Greek shipowners to fly the Greek flag on their vessels, better policing of Greece's maritime borders by an upgraded coast guard, investments in Greek islands, and safety at sea are some of the policy priorities outlined by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis during his visit to the Ministry of Shipping and Island Policy Thursday.

British ferry and shipping freight operator P&O is reviewing its UK-registered fleet and is already reflagging two vessels to keep European Union tax arrangements ahead of Britain's departure from the bloc, the company said.

A P&O spokesman said two of its UK ships operating on the English Channel route to France would be reflagged to Cyprus.

[Reuters]