It’s been 30 years since Ukrainian flag is at sea

Today, on August 23, Ukraine celebrates the Day of the National Flag of Ukraine. And for three decades, the blue-yellow flag has flown not only on the land of an independent country, but also at sea.

Thus, on August 12, 1992, the Cabinet of Ministers issued an order granting the right to raise the State flag of Ukraine starting with August 20 on sea vessels registered in Ukraine.

The flag state exercises regulatory control over commercial maritime vessels officially registered and sailing under its flag. The control involves inspection of vessels, their certification, ensuring safety and environmental protection during operation.

During the first years of the new, independent Ukraine, slightly more than 300 ships sailed under its flag. Currently, about 1,400 vessels operate under the flag of Ukraine. These are sea and river vessels, self-propelled and non-self-propelled, of different gross capacities.

In June, the state enterprise “Classification Society  Shipping Register of Ukraine”, which was established in 1998, celebrated its 24th anniversary. The register is responsible for the safety of navigation at sea and on rivers. The company’s international rating is growing every year, as evidenced as per data of the Paris Memorandum published this year. 

The Paris Memorandum is a regional agreement on port State control of foreign vessels. So far, 27 countries have signed the document. Within the framework of the Paris Memorandum, more than 17,000 ship inspections are carried out annually in the ports of the signatory states regarding compliance with the requirements of the main international conventions (SOLAS, MARPOL, STCW, etc.).

According to the results of the last three years, the Shipping Register of Ukraine has risen in the lists of the Paris Memorandum by three steps, and occupies the 21st place out of 33 classification societies specified in this list.

In its turn, the rating of the flag of Ukraine also rose to the “gray list” and ranks 61st in the overall rating of flag states.

For such results, the Register increased the requirements for supervised vessels, which affected their technical condition. The association also improved the quality of technical training of Ukrainian inspection engineers and strengthened control over the control of their work. 

As a result, the number of delays of ships in foreign ports due to technical conditions has decreased, and the number of accidents has decreased as well. The combination of these factors gave the company and, Ukrainian flag in particular, an opportunity to rise in the rating of the Paris Memorandum. For other states, this is a signal that Ukraine demonstrates a high level of compliance with the requirements of international safety standards in the field of shipping.

High indicators and ratings of the Ukrainian Shipping Register and Ukrainian Flag are important not only for safety at sea, but also for Ukraine’s international reputation. This recognition is especially important now, in the conditions of the war, when the eyes of the whole world are focused on Ukraine, and the European Union is preparing to accept the country into its community.