An active dialogue and information sharing with port State control (PSC) authorities around the world is important to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) Registry. As mutual stakeholders in maritime safety, flag State and PSC authorities play significant roles as important safety nets in safe vessel operation and protecting the safety of seafarers and the marine environment.
The Registry recognizes that building understanding and awareness with partner organizations enhances safe vessel operation and overall maritime safety. These partnerships and meetings, often held annually, focus on building professional relationships, discussing trends, and the internal activities within the RMI Registry to support safe vessel operation and compliance, as well as feedback from PSC authorities on any areas of concern or of special attention.
International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI), which provide administrative and technical support to the RMI Registry, utilize its network of regional offices and personnel to support these partnerships and meetings. In spring 2024, Brian Poskaitis, Senior Vice President, Fleet Operations based out of the Baltimore / Annapolis office and Captain Theodore Lalas, Fleet Operations Manager based out of the Piraeus office, met with Italian PSC representatives in Ravenna, Rome, and Venice to discuss PSC trends, the flag State’s operations, and focus on high-quality and safe vessel operation. These meetings follow onto meetings from 2023, when Brian and Theodore, alongside Captain Vincenzo Bellalba, Senior Nautical Inspector and Fleet Operations representative in Italy, met with Italian PSC authorities in Rome, Naples, Salerno, Taranto, Brindisi, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Genoa, and Savona. Italy is a member of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), an international inspection regime for foreign flagged ships, with whom the RMI remains white-listed.
Captain Theodore Lalas also attended the 24th Meeting of the Black Sea MoU Port State Control Committee Meeting in Batumi, Georgia in late March 2024. The meeting was chaired by Captain Cosmin Laurențiu Dumitrache, General Director of the Romanian Naval Authority and key topics emphasized the importance of collaboration among member States to ensure safe navigation in the Black Sea region. Black Sea MoU members include the PSC authorities of Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, the Russian Federation, Türkiye, and Ukraine. The meeting was attended by observers of Moldova, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the Abuja MoU, the Indian Ocean MoU, the Tokyo MoU, and the Viňa del Mar Agreement (VDM).
Across the Atlantic, Brian and Davis Kong, Vice President, Fleet Operations based out of Ft. Lauderdale met senior officials at Transport Canada in Ottawa and Montreal. Annie Ng, Head of Asia and Managing Director- Vancouver Office joined Brian and Davis for meetings with Transport Canada representatives in Vancouver. Franco Piccirillo, General Manager, South America and Captain Luiz Frietas, Regional Director, South America met with the Prefectura Naval Argentina (PNA), representing the VDM. Prefecto General Hugo Gabriel Cafaro, Secretary of the VDM, Prefecto Mayor José Fernando dos Santos, Undersecretary of the VDM and Head of the Navigation Safety Department at PNA, and Subprefecto Florencia Otero, Officer of the VDM, to discuss PSC performance, trends, and activities in the region. Franco and Captain Frietas shared the RMI Registry’s ongoing activities and operations noting that the Registry strives to maintain its reputation for high standards of compliance and professionalism.
In Australia, Brian; Captain Sascha Dyker, Regional Fleet Operations Manager for the Far East; and Guarav Dewan, Deputy Fleet Operations Manager in Australia met with PSC officials in Western Australia including Freemantle, Port Hedland, and Karratha. Brian, Guarav, and Alex Schultz-Altmann, Senior Maritime Safety Advisor also met with Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) officials in Canberra at AMSA’s headquarters. Topics of discussion included crew welfare and fatigue, improved communication of port State and flag State activities in regional ports, and joint efforts to improve maritime safety in the Tokyo MOU region.
Also in Asia, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore held its 15th foreign flag annual meeting at MPA Singapore headquarters in August 2024. Sascha presented on the Registry, while Captain James Tao Zhou and Princet Ang joined Sascha in represented the RMI Registry at roundtable discussions in support of safe and compliant vessel operation.
The RMI Registry adheres to the idea that open communication, dialogue, and information sharing between the flag State and PSC authorities benefits all owners and operators of RMI-flagged vessels in supporting safe and compliant vessel operation. To see RMI’s PSC detention trends, please visit: https://www.register-iri.com/blog/psc/.
