Hong Kong owners targeted in search for foreign ocean-going tonnage
The Jamaica ship registry is offering incentives, including registration of a vessel at any stage of construction, to woo shipowners to register under the Jamaican flag.
Rear-Admiral Peter Brady, director-general of the Maritime Authority of Jamaica, said only two countries offered registration of vessels under construction.
'The ship under construction will have the same legal entity as a ship in its completed form. Basically, it is a form of security,' he said after meeting the Hong Kong Shipowners Association.
Mr Brady, who led a Maritime Authority of Jamaica delegation to Hong Kong to promote the register, also met maritime lawyers, bankers and insurers.
He said the Jamaica registry was launched in Jamaica only six weeks ago to enable it to register foreign ocean-going ships. It submitted a list of procedures for approval by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) two years ago.
The IMO has a list of countries complying with the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping rules. Although the list is seen as a tentative step towards the IMO controlling flag states, the organisation's flag-state implementation committee has yet to settle the issue.
The Jamaica registry, which has a 150-year history of listing domestic vessels, boasts about 1,200 domestic ships and 20 foreign ocean-going ships on its books. It aims to attract 550 foreign ocean-going ships in the next three years.
Mr Brady said Jamaica's Shipping Act, passed in 1998, widened the ownership criteria and had added incentives such as no tax on income or capital gains to make the register attractive.
The Shipping Act also will exempt a seafarer from paying tax on income derived from employment on a Jamaican-registered ship.
Mr Brady said it was not mandatory for owners to use Jamaican crew, but if five crew members or more were employed, the owner would receive a discount. Jamaica has double-taxation agreements with many countries, making it attractive to shipowners.
Mr Brady said the register had a three-tier system of checks by inspectors, including a check by surveyors from the International Association of Classification Societies to ensure vessels were of good quality.
'Our fee structure has been determined after a careful study of the market,' Mr Brady said, adding the registry was not a flag of convenience.
'We are looking for quality ships and vessels that are in good condition.'
Jamaica's legal system is based on English common law. It claims good technical back-up with mariners and seafarers from maritime universities and from various administrations - including members of the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding - on port-state control to serve the register.
Mr Brady said the register would support shipowners by talking with other port-state control jurisdictions to determine whether vessels had been frivolously detained.
'We will carry out active accident-investigation visits and so on,' he said, adding that the register was still negotiating with classification societies to inspect vessels registered under the Jamaican flag. Ships will be inspected by Lloyd's Register, Det Norske Veritas and the American Bureau of Shipping.
Maritime Authority of Jamaica director of shipping and policy research Eric Deans said high priority had been given to establishing an Internet site. 'While providing the basic information and ability to download forms, the Web site also enables shipowners to make applications to register their ships online,' he said.
Maritime Authority of Jamaica director of training and safety Captain Robin Lee said the register preferred to attract younger container ships followed by off-shore supply vessels.
