The Hong Kong Shipping Register (HKSR), ranked as the fourth largest ship register in the world, passed the 100 million gross tonnage (GT) mark at the end of September with a total of 2,449 ships listed on the register.
A spokesperson for the Marine Department (MD) said recently the HKSR is committed to maintaining Hong Kong’s high shipping standards. The HKSR conducts pre-registration quality control to ensure that ships at the time of joining the HKSR comply with all applicable safety and pollution prevention standards of the relevant international conventions.
In addition, the HKSR also fully implements a flag state quality control system to ensure ships on the register comply with international standards.
As a result of the quality control system, the Port State Control detention rate of Hong Kong-registered ships remains at a low level, said the HKSR in a statement. Ships registered in Hong Kong remain among the top performers on the white list issued by the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding of Port State Control, and are classified as low-risk ships in the Paris MoU.
In addition, Hong Kong continues to hold the Qualship 21 (quality shipping for the 21st century) status of the U.S. Coast Guard, a program of the U.S. agency that identifies high-quality ships and provides incentives to encourage quality operations.
The spokesperson said that to ensure the high standards of Hong Kong-registered ships, the HKSR will continue to enhance its services and provide ship owners with technical support and advice. In addition, the MD will continue to improve its coordination with relevant mainland authorities to provide better protection for Hong Kong-registered ships when they are in international waters and in foreign ports.
The HKSR was set up on December 3, 1990, with a GT of 6 million at the time.
Photo: HKSR
