Belize registry honored by Coast Guard

Belize registry honored by Coast Guard The U.S. Coast Guard has given its Qualship 21 safety recognition status to the International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE) in recognition of the registry's safety improvements in the last year.
   Qualship 21, from Quality Shipping in the 21st Century, is presented by the Coast Guard to non-U.S. flag registries in recognition of meeting specified USCG safety standards.
   The award for the Belize registry marks a notable reversal, because it was on the Coast Guard 'black list' just a year ago, Coast Guard Cmdr. Paul Thorne noted at an award ceremony in Washington.
      To improve its rating, the registry had to remove roughly half the vessels from the registry over the course of the last year.