The Tribune

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) is aiming to make further inroads into the Japanese shipping market through the opening of its new office in the heart of Tokyo's Minato district.

KP Turnquest, the deputy prime minister, was joined by Renward Wells, minister of transport and local government; Cora Bain-Colebrooke, the ministry's permanent secretary, and both the BMA's chairman and deputy chairman, Denise Lewis-Johnson and Peter John Goulandris, for the opening.

Captain Dwain Hutchinson, the BMA's acting managing director and chief executive, said: "As the second largest ship owning country of dead-weight tonnage, we recognise the strategic importance and integral role Japan plays in the global maritime sector.

"This dedicated office will allow us to enhance our service delivery with exclusive BMA staff, who will continue to be supported by our regional classification societies and nautical inspectors. We look forward to strengthening our relationship with the Japanese maritime cluster through our Tokyo office."

The Bahamas' shipping registry already features more 1,500 ships, representing some 64 million gross tons, and this nation remains a non-targeted flag from a port state perspective within the Asia/Pacific region and Paris Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

The Bahamas is also a US Coast Guard QUALSHIP 21 flag state and, as a most favoured nation (MFN) in relation to ships trading with Chinese ports, is beneficial for Japanese ship owners trading regionally and internationally.