Sitting adjacent to the second busiest port in the world, International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates’ (IRI’s) Singapore office serves as a significant technical and operational hub for the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) fleet. A full-service office, the Singapore office interfaces with local technical managers, chartering agents, law firms, and port State control (PSC) officials to ensure the RMI fleet moves efficiently through one of the world’s largest and busiest maritime hubs.
“Singapore sees an immense amount of commercial traffic with trading and cargoes from all over the world,” noted Shawn Tan, who oversees IRI’s Singapore office. “Vessels calling here often look to coordinate their technical support, inspections and audits, seafarer welfare requests, administrative needs, and other shore-based needs while at port. Our Singapore team carefully coordinates with the vessel, the Maritime Port Authority (MPA), and other regional stakeholders to move vessels through efficiently, while meeting their operational and administrative needs,” he continued.
Opened in 2003 with two people to support regional vessel registrations, IRI’s Singapore office has grown to 11 team members that represent and handle all facets of the RMI Registry’s responsibilities from vessel registrations and inspections to technical support, corporate registrations and filings, and seafarer documentation.
“Our client base has grown significantly over the 20 years as the regional market has grown and developed. Today we have a strong base of clients based in Singapore and Southeast Asia and we work closely with our partner offices across Asia and the world,” said Shawn.
With immense local vessel traffic, a significant number of ship managers, owners, law firms, and other maritime stakeholders have a presence in Singapore. Shawn and his team work closely with these stakeholders, as well as other IRI offices worldwide to support and coordinate vessel registrations, inspections, technical requests, and more for vessels calling to Singapore.
“Clients applaud our service orientated approach to meet their needs efficiently while in port. Of top importance is our prompt action regarding inspections, efficient handling of transactions and queries, and the ease of working with IRI across the globe,” noted Shawn. “IRI’s cordial and active relationship with local, regional, and global PSC authorities is of particular benefit to our clients. Open lines of communication and information sharing between flag and PSC encourage a culture of compliance, professional understanding, and trust.”
Those professional relationships help streamline vessel registration, technical support, local repairs, audits, and inspections according to Shawn. “MPA understands the RMI Registry’s proactive approach to compliance, internal processes, and procedures, and knows who to call for immediate answers and support when necessary. That helps vessels optimize their time at port,” said Shawn.
Growth in the local and regional market continues to mirror global trends with a strong focus on decarbonization and sustainability.
“As with the rest of the world, the Singapore market continues to support decarbonization efforts,” commented Shawn. “Financial institutions, vetting bodies, and leasing/charterers strongly prefer to work with vessels, owners, and operators that are committed to compliance with forthcoming International Maritime Organization (IMO) greenhouse gas targets. Fortunately, the RMI Registry was an early adopter to a sustainable future for the maritime industry. IRI’s global Renewables and Oil and Gas Teams offer expert technical support to clients evaluating decarbonization solutions. I am confident we are well-positioned and prepared to help clients transition to a sustainable future.”
Whether it comes to sustainability, optimizing time in port, handling registrations or documentation requests, IRI Singapore has built a reputation for offering the highest level of customer service to all of its clients and will do so for many years to come.
