maritime

Panama placed on shipping black list

Numerous ships registered in Panama failed to meet international shipping standards.

That has resulted in Panama being placed on a black list, a downgrade from a previous survey.

David Mesa/La Prensa

on a list: Panamanian shipping officials have pledged to make changes after the country was placed on a black list by an international organization.1086021

A total of 11 percent of the Panamanian vessels surveyed by an international shipping organization have failed to meet the group's standards, landing the country on a “black list.”

The survey, conducted by Port State Control (PSC), judges ships based on their adherence to standards regarding issues such as pollution control, treatment of workers and safety standards. The organization is based in the Netherlands, and its standards are used by countries throughout Europe.

The organization issues a report every three years that classifies countries based on the performance of vessels flying the country's flag. There were 80 countries included in the latest survey, 19 of which were black listed. There were 23 countries on the gray list, which indicated some problems, and 38 on the white list, which indicated few issues.

During the last survey, in 2004, Panama was upgraded from the group's black list to the gray list, but regressed in the most current survey.

In the wake of Panama's regression, the Autoridad Marítima de Panama (AMP) has strengthen its regulations and has advised ship owners that it will expel them from the Panamanian shipping registry and cancel their licenses if they do not meet the organization's standards.

To date, more than 50 ships have been removed from the registry and AMP is expected to take action against at least 50 more. Alfonso Castillero, head of the Marina Mercante Division of the AMP, said that “Vessels over 20 years old must be surveyed by a recognized international surveyor and results must be sent to the Dirección de Marina Mercante before approaching any PSC port.”

“We have defined which ships will be in trouble,” he added.