Shipping: Flags

(asked on 8th June 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) environmental, and (2) economic, impact of the use of flags of convenience by ships, in (a) UK waters, and (b) globally; and what steps they plan to take with international partners to reduce the (i) use, and (ii) any negative impact, of such flags.


Answered by
Baroness Vere of Norbiton Portrait
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 22nd June 2021

All ships, irrespective of their flag State, must comply with relevant international conventions for safety and environmental protection, depending on their size and area of operation. Requirements are regularly reviewed by the Member States at the United Nations’ International Maritime Organization and recommendations to improve safety and environmental standards must then be implemented by those States.

Ships that are not on the UK Ship Register but are operating in UK waters or calling at UK ports, can be inspected by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency under the port State control regime of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding (Paris MOU). Individual ships are targeted for inspection on a risk-based approach, which takes into consideration factors such as age of ship, previous inspection history, company performance and its flag State.

Ships of all countries (irrespective of ratification of international conventions) will be subject to inspection in a UK port, to verify compliance with the requirements of conventions ratified by the UK under the principle of no more favourable treatment. Any ship that does not meet the minimum standards, may be detained and the reasons noted on the Paris MOU database for other maritime administrations to see.

Her Majesty’s Government has not carried out a bespoke environmental or economic impact assessment.

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