Maritime Transport Safety Control: its effectiveness following privatization in the Post-Globalization Era.

Abstract

A detailed statistical analysis of the world fleet and its performance in respect of safety has been made, to study the evolution that has taken place in recent decades in the privatization or externalization of the control services. These services refer principally to the inspection and monitoring of ships performed by the Maritime Administrations of States either directly themselves or indirectly via the Classification Societies or Recognized Organizations (ROs).

On this analysis, the discussion is not controversial.  The general performance of the fleet has been getting better in both aspects and a scenario of concentration in the number of important registries is drawn; those registries that have not adapted to the standards established internationally by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) are not competitive. States and Governments will have the public mission of "controlling the private controllers", supervising the compliance of those ROs with ethical standards, so that the new IMO Code will be the final element.