The detention rate of Malta registered ships has been halved over the past four years following a drive by the Malta Maritime Authority to improve safety, the authority's chairman, Marc Bonello, said in an interview.
Paris MOU detention rate figures show that Maltese flagged vessels stood at 16.5 per cent four years ago and this has been brought down to 9.5 per cent. Unofficial figures show that the detention rate is expected to be around eight per cent by the end of the year, Dr Bonello said.
The detention rate of ships worldwide is 9.5 per cent while the detention rate in the EU is four per cent, and the MMA is striving to further reduce the detention of Maltese-registered vessels, Dr Bonello said.
A total of 628 inspections were held on Maltese registered ships last year, practically every large vessel on the register.
There are about 3,000 vessels on the Maltese register, half of which are small boats and pleasure craft. But the rest, comprising most of the 30 million tons registered, are tankers, bulk carriers, chemical carriers, merchant ships, container ships, and cruise liners.
Dr Bonello said the Maltese register ranked fifth worldwide and second in Europe in terms of size.
"Malta ranks between Greece and Cyprus. When Malta and Cyprus join the EU, the European Union would be the largest single block of tonnage, even bigger than Panama, which tops the world list. The EU would then have much more muscle to make more effective control on safety," Dr Bonello said.
The MMA employs around 200 people, 60 of whom work in the merchant shipping directorate. There are some 25 inspectors and captains. It also engages 100 inspectors on a contract basis in 72 ports worldwide who carry out inspections on Maltese flagged vessels.
Dr Bonello said that following the sinking of the oil tanker Erika off the French coast in December 1999, the MMA did not wait for the flag state report to be completed but took an interim decision not to accept new registrations of ships which were over 25 years old. Ships over 20 years were subjected to more frequent inspections while ships aged between 15 and 20 years started to be inspected within a month of registration.
"Technically, it is difficult to inspect a ship before it is registered. The average age of vessels on the Maltese register is 19. We want to encourage new and younger ships onto our register. A new fee structure, based on a 15-year-old ship, which will come into effect next January, should help to achieve this. Older ships would have to pay higher fees while younger ships would have discounts," Dr Bonello said.
Asked what he felt about the 'flag of convenience' label Malta is often dubbed with, Dr Bonello reacts strongly:
"We are a convenient flag as we offer a good service and value for money, but we are not a flag of convenience which creams off money from ship registrations and stops there. We give our service responsibly and adhere to international conventions. In offering service to foreign ship owners, we do not compromise maritime safety and international rules.
"I would say Malta is a flag of confidence and this can be seen in a number of ways. The fact that Malta has again been elected to serve on the council of the International Maritime Organisation for the second term running, is testimony to our standards.
"We do not want our flag to grow at the expense of safety. We have refused to register some ships and have removed others from our register. We have paid for this by experiencing a two per cent dip in tonnage and we are no longer the world's fourth largest flag and the first largest flag in Europe.
"But I am sure this will be compensated by more tonnage in future. We are looking for other markets, particularly the Asian market," Dr Bonello said.
Dr Bonello said MMA officials "hold their head up high when meeting big flags and sense that respect for the Maltese flag is growing. We did not shy away after the Erika tragedy. Malta was an open register and those who came to see what we were doing found that we had acted seriously.
"Our inspections are only carried out by EU recognised classification societies. Mandatory inspections by classification societies are carried out annually. In addition, flag state inspections are made at least annually. Drydock inspections are carried out every five years if a ship is under 15 years and every two and a half years if ships are older than that.
"A drydock inspection is more thorough and ships would have to de-gas bilges and tanks for a thorough inspection and for the necessary repairs to take place," he said.
Apart from certifying industrial vessels, the MMA is now also issuing licences to them. Previously these licences were issued by the transport authority.
"We have also just drawn up a code of practice for the safety of commercial vessels that covers all aspects from manning to life saving equipment," Dr Bonello said.
The MMA is also looking at ways to increase the wharf space in Grand Harbour. Barriera Wharf and Ras Hanzir have been identified as potential sites. It was hoped that the feasibility studies enabling such projects to take place would be funded by the EU, he said.
Asked about port reform, Dr Bonello said a strong political will was required for the badly needed initiative.
"After several meetings of the Ports Consultative Council, we have given the government a plan of action. Essentially there are four factors: institutional change, which means that we should have laws reflecting the labour practices in our ports today.
"The second thing is the streamlining of the tariff system, which should be easy to work out and comprehend and which should ensure that people pay for the service they get.
"Regarding the operational activities in the port, the Cargo Handling Company, which is the current service provider enjoying a monopoly, needs to look at ways and means of how to invest in new plant and equipment and in proper training of staff. Cargo handling rates have to reflect the cargo being handled. Finally there is the need to organise pilots, mooring men and tug boat workers.
"We cannot continue to stop the port working because of disputes. Stoppages are very costly to ship owners who might easily lose $30,000 in a day in demurrage fees because of a stoppage in our ports, and they might think twice before using Malta again.
"We desperately need to have comprehensive legislation so that free for all situations in our ports are stopped. There are perhaps 600 people in all working directly with the provision of services in our ports. But a firm political resolve is needed. When steps start being taken, there is no turning back as that would be the beginning of our end."
Dr Bonello stressed the importance of having the ports, including the Freeport, regulated by the same sets of rules.
Apart from its regulatory work, the MMA is also involved in the foundation for transport studies, which is chaired by the MMA.
The foundation was set up in 1994 to raise awareness on the needs to train people working in the transport industry.
"We are trying to revive this foundation to address various lacunae. In Malta there are no courses for crane drivers for instance. We are in contact with minibus drivers who are eager to learn about safety and other such issues. We have a university which still does not cater for middle management in the transport sector.
"We are aware of the need to have trained people in the industry, and have set up the Maritime Institute as a joint venture with MCAST.
"We have also set up the Maritime Law Advisory Council as we want to be proactive to new international legislation. The aim is to have a think-tank to come up with new ideas. It is an initiative between MMA, Malta Maritime Law Association, the Attorney General's office and the Ministry of Transport.
"In everything we do, we do not impose, but we are reaching out, offering a service. I am convinced that with goodwill, we will make the progress we need to make," Dr Bonello said.