Ship number 1,000 has been registered in Madeira reaching a remarkable milestone for the register and the Portuguese flag. Now the next goal is to reach 2,000 ships with Madeira as their home port.
MAR is the International Ship Registry of Portugal, often referred to as the ‘Madeira Ship Registry’ or ‘MAR’ since it is located on the island of Madeira and is open to shipowners worldwide.
Ship number 1,000 is the bulk carrier Star Asia, which recently changed its flag to Portugal in Singapore and now sailing with the home port of Madeira, according to EUROMAR which assists ship managers in all matters regarding MAR and the flag of Portugal.
EUROMAR said that it extends its gratitude to Chartworld Shipping Corporation for registering their second vessel with them.
Dr. Albrecht Gundermann, managing partner at European MAR (Euromar), said: “The development of the register has been outstanding. When we started 11 years ago, we had a clear vision: to create a reliable, fast, and innovative shipping register for Europe.
“We are especially proud of the fact that, from the very beginning, the register has been growing predominantly with ships that previously had non-European registrations.
“This reflects a genuine shift from offshore to onshore. Over 90% of the ships we manage come from offshore registers outside Europe. This shows that it is possible to strengthen European flags with our services.”
Photo credit: EUROMAR
Joerg Molzahn, managing partner at European MAR (Euromar), noted: “Reaching this milestone is a significant achievement. However, we won’t rest on our laurels. Our focus remains on the qualitative growth of the register and the flag, in close cooperation with Portuguese maritime authorities and other stakeholders.”
In 2024, Portuguese-flagged ships consistently achieved top scores, Molzahn said, in the key maritime safety regimes, Paris MoU and Tokyo MoU.
“Additionally, we aim to make a meaningful contribution to the sustainability of maritime transport, including through partnerships like OceanScore,” Molzahn added.
