Safmarine to use new Belgian ship register

Safmarine to use new Belgian ship register    Antwerp-based Safmarine Container Lines N.V. said that it will transfer eight vessels to the Belgian flag to support the recently reinstated Belgian national ships register.
   The vessels are currently registered with the Isle of Man and Bahamas.
   Belgian authorities have inspected and accepted eight Safmarine-managed ships for possible transfer to the new register. Safmarine said that it will take advantage of the window period — between Nov. 11 and Dec. 6 this year — to transfer the vessels to the Belgian flag without further inspections.
   The Belgian flag offers a favorable tonnage tax regime.
   The first vessel planned for transfer will be the 1,800-TEU “Safmarine Concord,” on Nov. 18.
   The other seven ships to be transferred are the 3,100-TEU “Maersk Constantia,” “S.A. Helderberg,” “S.A. Sederberg” and ” S.A. Winterberg,” together with the smaller “Safmarine Asia,” “Safmarine Europe” and “Safmarine Cotonou.”
   “Safmarine has been part of the Belgian maritime industry since the strategic acquisition of the liner interests of CMB-T (in) 1991 to the establishment of our Belgium-based company,” said Howard Boyd, chief executive officer of Safmarine.
   Historically, Safmarine was founded in South Africa, but moved its headquarters to Belgium in the late 1990s following corporate ownership changes. Safmarine is now a separately managed subsidiary company of the A.P. Moller-Maersk group, of Denmark.
   Safmarine intends to also register five new containerships currently on order to the Belgian flag. The new vessels will be deployed in the Europe/West Africa and Europe/southern Africa trade.