ICS releases flag state table

   The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) said this week it has published its latest annual Shipping Industry Flag State Performance Table, which helps shipowners examine the substance of flag states before registering vessels there.
   The table collates various data available in the public domain, with the ICS encouraging shipowners to pressure their flag administration to effect any improvement that might be needed.
   “ICS believes that a balance has to be struck between the commercial advantages of shipowners selecting a particular flag and the need to discourage the use of any flag that does not meet its international obligations,” the chamber said in a statement. “While it is shipping companies that have primary responsibility for the safe operation of their ships it is the flag state that must enforce the rules.”
   The table is available at the ICS website.
   “ICS makes no apology for continuing to subject flag states to scrutiny, in the same way that ships and company procedures are rightly subjected to inspection by governments,” said ICS Secretary General Peter Hinchliffe, in a statement. “Our overriding interest in promoting high performing flags is that they are less likely to tolerate substandard operators who would otherwise enjoy an unfair commercial advantage over the vast majority of fully compliant shipping companies.”