The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy announced that the US Coast Guard has informed Greece on the completion of the renewal of Greece’s participation in the “QUALSHIP 21” initiative for the period 2023-2024. This initiative has been in place since 2001, establishing a quality rating and incentive system for foreign-flagged ships arriving at US ports.
The decision constitutes a recognition of Greece as a Quality Flag State and is based on the excellent performance of Greek-flagged ships during Port State Controls by the US Coast Guard over the last three years. It is noted that for the specific period, the detention rate of ships under the Greek flag that were inspected in US ports is less than 1%, a ratio that is a basic requirement for the US Maritime Administration to accept a country to participate in this initiative.
The goal of the QUALSHIP-21 Initiative is to eliminate shipping with reduced security levels while rewarding the maritime administrations as well as the ships and shipping companies that have undertaken commitments related to maritime safety and security, promoting quality shipping.
