Three thousand and counting as Liberia welcomes Tsakos newbuilding

THE Liberian Registry has passed a major milestone in its history by registering its 3,000th vessel, the 105,400 dwt aframax tanker Ise Princess, built this year for Fairsea Enterprises SA and managed and operated by Tsakos Shipping & Trading SA of Greece.

Scott Bergeron. Chief Operating Officer of the Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR), the US-based manager of the Liberian Registry, says, “There is a delightful symmetry in this, because the first vessel registered with Liberia, in 1949, was also Greek – the World Peace, owned by Stavros Niarchos. Greece was in at the beginning of Liberia’s maritime adventure and, sixty years later, is still contributing to its phenomenal growth.

“Second only to the national register, Liberia is the flag of choice for Greek shipping. Today almost 600 Greek-owned ships, aggregating 38 m dwt, are registered under the flag of Liberia. And that number will grow still further as an increasing number of Greek shipowners are choosing Liberia for their newbuildings and secondhand purchases.

“Liberia’s extraordinary growth during the last few years is also evident in almost every other major shipping market. In view of the difficult economic outlook for most of the industry right now, the fact that Liberia has registered over 110 vessels in the first two and a half months of 2009 is truly inspiring. We appreciate the support of the global shipping community and I would also like to credit my hard-working colleagues around the world for helping us to achieve this remarkable growth.”

Captain Nicolaos Soutos, Liberian Honorary Consul in Greece, says, “This is a very special and happy day for me. Over the past sixty years, Liberia has overcome some well-publicised difficulties, unconnected with its operation of the ship register, to further strengthen its presence in the global shipping industry. In particular, over the last ten years, it has achieved growing recognition and support from the Greek shipowning community, and indeed from the international shipping industry.”

The Liberian Registry is one of the world’s largest and most active shipping registers, with a long-established track record of combining the highest standards for vessels and crews with the highest standards of responsive service to owners. It has recently surpassed all-time tonnage records, with 3,000 ships totalling almost 90 gt currently registered.