Panama returns to Paris MOU White List

Panama's return to the White List was, "the result of a sustained strategy to strengthen safety standards, enhance compliance with international conventions, and reinforce oversight of the Panamanian merchant fleet," the PMA said in a statement earlier this week.

The authority said the measures that implemented to ensure Panama's return to the list included: strengthening its preventive inspection program by targeting higher-risk vessels before their arrival at ports operating under the Paris MOU regime; introducing more rigorous mechanisms to identify and monitor vessels with a history of deficiencies; reinforcing the registry's precheck process to ensure that only vessels meeting international standards are admitted to the Panama Ship Registry; adopting enhanced methodologies for flag state inspections; expanding oversight of recognised organisations, shipowners, and operators; and achieving a sustained reduction in maritime incidents while improving the fleet's operational performance through a policy centered on prevention, compliance, and continuous improvement.