The comparison of flag states is carried out in the hope of striking a good balance between the commercial benefits of a flag and the flag state's ability to fulfill its international obligations.

A set of criteria is used as a basis in the overview, and Norway scores green across the board. Our focus on safe shipping continues to show in the flag’s performance in port state controls.

"It goes without saying that Norway should appear on both the Paris and the Tokyo MOU white lists," says acting Director General of Shipping and Navigation, Lars Alvestad. It is also gratifying that the Norwegian flag still qualifies for the US Coast Guard's own regime, "Qualship 21". That is exactly how we want it.

Norway is an active participant in the IMO, and our involvement in various committees and sub-committees is being noticed. It should go without saying that all the major conventions such as SOLAS, Marpol, STCW, ILO / MLC have been ratified by Norway.

"The survey is really a positive feedback and confirms that the work done by both the Norwegian Maritime Authority and the Norwegian shipowners has a high value," says Alvestad. "Thank you very much for the good cooperation which is crucial for the continuation of the Norwegian flag as The Quality Flag, and the Norwegian Maritime Authority as the preferred maritime administration."

You can download the 2020/2021 Flag State Performance Table here.