IRISH-REGISTERED ships have achieved “low risk” status on an international maritime regulatory listing.
Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey welcomed the new classification, noting yesterday that only 22 states had achieved the status.
Irish-registered ships will have fewer inspections at international ports as a result, Mr Dempsey said, and this would have an economic impact in saving seafarers’ time and money.
Last year, Ireland jumped 11 places to eighth position on the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) “white list” of international shipping.
The new classification has been confirmed in the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on port state control, as part of a revised international maritime inspection regime introduced on January 1st.
The Paris MoU is a voluntary agreement involving 14 European states which have agreed to co-ordinate their shipping inspection efforts. These inspections are undertaken on visiting foreign ships to ensure that they comply with international rules on safety, pollution prevention, and the living and working conditions of seafarers.
Under the revised Paris MoU, low-risk ships will be inspected at intervals of up to three years, while standard-risk ships will be inspected every year and high-risk ships every six months.
Ships with three or more detentions will be banned from entering ports for a minimum period of three months.