Cyprus ships removed from US Coast Guard’s ”targeted flag list”

The Cyprus flag has been removed from the US Coast Guard's annual targeted flag list, the Ministry of Communications and Works has announced.

“This development represents another positive result in the continuing effort of the Department of Merchant Shipping for a qualitative upgrade of the Cypriot fleet and of the Cypriot flag's image,” the Ministry notes.

The Cypriot flag has already been removed from the Paris Memorandum of Understanding's 'black list' in 2005 as well as from Tokyo MOU list in 2001. These Memoranda define the criteria on which ships can be detained by port state control and evaluated on whether they fulfill international maritime conventions.

''Therefore, the Cypriot flag rightly lies in the white list of these MOUs and is one of quality flags in the world,'' the Ministry adds.

The DMS will continue to implement government policy, with the primary goal to upgrade the quality of the merchant fleet.