The UK Ship Register has maintained its US QUALSHIP 21 (Quality Shipping for the 21st Century) status for the 12th consecutive year - one of only six flag administrations to achieve this consistency.

US QUALSHIP 21 is one of the world's highest standards. It was implemented by the US Coastguard (USCG) in 2001 as a way to recognise and reward high-quality flag administrations and vessel owners for their commitment to safety and quality and provide incentives to encourage quality operations.

Qualification is based on a stringent set of criteria. For flag administrations to qualify their detention rate in the United States of America's ports must be lower than 1% over a three-year rolling period and they must have at least 10 PSC examinations in the U.S. in each of the three previous years. They must also submit a self-assessment of flag administration performance to the IMO, providing a copy to the US Coastguard, and an Executive Summary from their Member State Audit Scheme audit.

Commercial Director of the UK Ship Register, Dan Vivian said it was a conspicuous recognition of the high standards of the UK Flag: “We are proud to have maintained our status for so many years running.

“Coupled with our standing on the Tokyo MoU and Paris MoU White List, QUALSHIP 21 demonstrates that the UK Ship Register is a consistently high-performing international ship register, and that UK-flagged ships are demonstrating a commitment to high standards of safety and operation.”

UK-flagged ships benefit from QUALSHIP 21 status, gaining significant competitive advantage when trading with the US. The vessels and operations are subject to fewer port state control inspections when in US waters, lowering the likelihood of delays and increasing returns.

The UK is one of only 27 flag administrations to achieve this mark quality for 2022-23, the current certification will run from 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2023.