Portugal’s ship register continues to grow. The “Star Asia” is now the 1,000th ship to fly the flag of the south-western European country.
The bulk carrier from ship manager Chartworld, based in Glyfada, Greece, was built in 2017. The change of flag has now been completed in the port of Singapore – from the Bahamas to Portugal.
“Our thanks go to the shipping company Chartworld Maritime Management Corporation, which is thus registering its second ship in Madeira,” reads a statement from the agency Euromar, which also manages the register for German shipowners, among others, where there has already been some recent growth.
In Germany, 77 shipping companies with almost 500 ships have opted for the Portuguese shipping register in the last eleven years since Euromar was founded, according to official figures. According to data from the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency at the end of November, the Portugal register ranks second in terms of the number of ships owned by German shipping companies, behind Antigua & Barbuda.
New target for Portugal flag: 2,000 ships
Co-Managing Director Albrecht Gundermann called the development of the register “fantastic”. The aim is to continue this positive development. “We are already aiming for 2,000 ships as the next milestone,” said Gundermann. He was proud of the fact that right from the start, the register has grown predominantly with ships that previously flew a non-European flag. “This shows that the development from offshore to onshore is a real process. Over 90% of the ships we manage come from offshore registers outside Europe. This shows that it is possible to strengthen European flags with our offer, says Gundermann.
Molzahn now emphasised that the company does not want to rest on its laurels after reaching the “milestone”, on the contrary. “Following the growth in various European shipping markets, we are particularly pleased about the recent decision by many Greek shipowners to join the Madeira shipping register. Greece has the largest fleet in Europe and already has a lot of appeal to the entire European shipping industry. The growth will therefore continue, fed by the diversity of all major European owner nations.”
