Finnish-flagged ships rated as being in the best condition

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Ships sailing under the Finnish flag have been rated as being in the best condition of all commercial fleets.
      Finland tops the list drawn up by Paris MOU, an organisation comprising 22 national maritime administrations. The organisation covers the waters of European coastal states, and the North Atlantic basin from North America to Europe.
      The annual report of the organisation has put all harbour states into ranking order on the basis of Port State Control (PSD) inspections.
      In the survey, each Paris MOU member makes random inspections of foreign vessels at its harbours, and lists their shortcomings.
     
If shortcomings in safety are serious enough, the ship is stopped in the harbour.
      The results of the inspections have given the countries involved a risk classification. Those with the greatest risks - countries whose vessels are in poorest shape - are put on a "black list", and their ships are not even allowed into harbours of European Union countries.
      A "grey list" is for maritime states with some risk, and a "white list, with 36 countries" have the best safety features.
     
Finland currently heads the white list, followed by France, Britain, the Isle of Man, and Sweden.
      A year earlier, the best country was Germany. Then came the Isle of Man, Britain, the Untied States, and Sweden.
      The black list has 18 countries, eight of which are assessed as very risky.
      The grey list includes a few countries along the shoreline of the Baltic Sea.
     
The Finnish Maritime Administration partly attributes Finland’s good placement on the list to the work that has been done on behalf of maritime safety in Finland, and to safety thinking on the part of shipping lines.
      Finland has previously been near the top of the Paris MOU white list.


Links:
  Paris MOU website

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