In October 2019, The Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects inaugurated a regional shipping office in Athens, Greece. The said office is situated within the Maltese Embassy in Greece and represents the first expansion of Transport Malta’s Merchant Shipping Directorate beyond Maltese shores.

the Maltese ship registry remains one of the largest in Europe and the sixth largest maritime flag in the world

The expansion is testament to the ongoing drive for growth of the Maltese ship registry which, as confirmed by the ‘UNCTAD Review of Maritime Transport 2019’, remains one of the largest in Europe and the sixth largest maritime flag in the world. In fact, over the course of 2019, the Maltese flag continued to register growth with an increase of 7%, representing the largest increase of any jurisdiction world-wide of newly registered ships flying its flag.

The primary scope of establishing a regional shipping office as aforesaid is to facilitate the promotion of the Maltese ship registry within Greece with a view towards bolstering the relationship between the Maltese ship registry and Greek ship-owners already flying the Maltese flag as well as with prospective investors in the maritime sector who wish to join the Maltese registry.

The primary scope of establishing a regional shipping office is to facilitate the promotion of the Maltese ship registry within Greece

To this end, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects indicated that this regional office will help “maintain an excellent rapport with the Greek maritime customers and thereby ensure that the service provided by Transport Malta is up to the desired level” and that the Authority is committed towards continuing its work “for our flag to continue to give certainty, stability and confidence to anyone wishing to invest in our country”.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Promotion reiterated that “this new office will allow Malta to further strengthen the strong links we have with the Greek community and to further strengthen its presence within the Greek shipping market”.