U.S. Coast Guard names targeted flags for security ship inspections

U.S. Coast Guard names targeted flags for security ship inspections    The U.S. Coast Guard has issued its 2004 targeted flag list for compliance under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code and the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002.
   Vessels documented with listed nations are automatically assigned additional 'points' for purposes of determining their priority for a port state control examination. The goal of flags and vessel operators is to have as few points as possible.
   The Coast Guard examined the results of its July and August security compliance boardings to determine which countries' vessels had a higher than average rate of compliance problems that resulted in a detention, denial of entry or other major control action.
   The Coast Guard has assigned seven points to Bolivia, Cayman Islands, the Netherlands, Russia and Thailand, and two points to Antigua & Barbuda, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Malta, Panama and Singapore.
   Vessels not compliant with the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention that fly the flags of Bolivia, the Cook Islands and Honduras have also been assigned seven points.
   Under the Coast Guard's security boarding matrix, vessels scoring six or fewer total points are only boarded on a random basis. Ships scoring seven to 16 total points will be examined upon port arrival, while vessels scoring 17 or higher will be examined prior to port entry.
   The past compliance of vessels from countries now in the targeted flag list showed they have not implemented basic security measures, increasing the security risk posed to ports, the Coast Guard said. The targeted flag list can be found at https://www.uscg.mil/hq/g%2Dm/pscweb/FlagSecurity.htm .