maritime

Ship registrations increase slightly

Maritime leaders say that changes to the industry’s regulations have increased business.

Víctor Arosemena/La Prensa

steaming ahead: Ship registrations are up slightly from 2007, a result, some say, of changes to government regulations.1079628

Panama registered a 4.75 percent increase in ship registration in the first half of the year, reaching 177 million tons and 7,965 vessels.

At the end of 2007, there were 7,605 ships registered in the country, totalling 168 million tons, according to Lloyd's Register of Shipping.

“Fifty percent of this increase is due to ships that are newly constructed,” said Alfonso Castillero, director of Marina Mercante of the Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP).

The Ley General de Marina Mercante, enacted a few weeks ago, contains a series of incentives to encourage shipowners to register their newly constructed ships in Panama, and also those who register multiple vessels.

For example, shipowners who register between five and 15 vessels receive a 20 percent discount on registration fees. That discount increased to 35 percent up to 50 vessels and 60 percent for more than 50.

Castillero said that shipowners have also responded positively to changes in the way that Panamanian officials deal with accidents involving vessels registered here.

The president of the Cámara Marítima de Panamá, Rubén Karamañites, said that the changes to the regulations has modernized AMP and made it more responsive to the demands of the maritime sector.

He said that the changes will help the industry grow, and provide a clear path for the way the agency deals with issues in the future.