Fifty years ago, regional offices in Hong Kong and Piraeus opened. These offices, first operating as marine safety centers, supported clients of International Registries, Inc.’s (IRI’s) predecessor company and have anchored the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry’s growth in Europe and Asia. Without access to today’s modern electronics and digital tools, these offices served as bridges between the business day in Europe, Asia, and headquarters in North America, ensuring that clients had access to support during their local business hours. The benefits of a decentralized structure were realized early on, and Piraeus and Hong Kong quickly grew into regional hub offices, supporting new office locations in each region and expanding corporate and maritime departments throughout Europe and Asia. Today, IRI provides administrative and technical support to the RMI Maritime and Corporate Registries through 28 offices in key financial and maritime hubs worldwide.
Annie Ng, Head of Asia and Managing Director of the Vancouver office, credits the opening of the Hong Kong office with the Registry’s growth and success in Asia.
Annie commented:
“I joined the company in 1999 and in 2005 became Managing Director of our Far East offices. During those short six years we opened three new offices in Asia. Having the hub office in Hong Kong, with intimate understanding of local business practices, and relationships with local stakeholders helped to establish IRI’s strong presence in Asia. We were the first foreign flag administration to open a full-service office in Asia and the additional regional offices, which today stand at nine across Asia, have strengthened our reputation for technical expertise, knowledge, and excellent client service.”
Hong Kong celebrated their milestone anniversary earlier this year at Marine Money Hong Kong’s reception, while Piraeus honored its milestone anniversary at Posidonia in June 2024.
“It was really special for us to be able to celebrate this milestone at Posidonia,” noted Theo Xenakoudis, Chief Commercial Officer and Managing Director of the Piraeus office. “We attribute our success to a team effort, not only by the Registry’s team members, but also thanks to our clients and colleagues who put their trust in us and allow us to earn their business,” he concluded.
Likewise, the London office, which celebrated 50 years of operation during COVID restrictions, played a critical role in expanding operations and technical support throughout Europe. Today the London office, headed by Chief Maritime Officer Simon Bonnett, maintains not only administrative and operational support for owners and operators of RMI-flagged vessels, but also serves as a home for key regulatory affairs links, including the RMI Maritime Administrator’s delegation to the International Maritime Organization.
“London remains a critical hub for financial and maritime operations, but things have changed significantly since the 1970s,” noted Simon. “The complex regulatory environment in which global shipping operates is unlike anything we could have imagined 50+ years ago. The Registry’s 28 worldwide offices facilitate regulatory compliance with local support. Being face-to-face across the world opens a multitude of communication channels between stakeholders, regulators, and regulating bodies,” he continued.
“These three offices really became the cornerstone of our worldwide operations,” noted IRI President Bill Gallagher. “They proved that clients appreciate doing business local to their home offices, while having the backing and support of a strong network worldwide. Today, we offer our clients the strongest technical expertise, customer support, and service in the world thanks to these three offices who laid the groundwork for where we are today with our 28 worldwide offices,” concluded Bill.
