The government of the republic of Palau has reinstated Panos Kirnidis to head its ship registry, six weeks after taking the flag under state control after the US slapped sanctions on the private company operating the flag.
The government insisted that the revamped open register would have tighter oversight, clearer accountability, and closer alignment with international maritime standards.
Palau has a poor showing in the just-published annual flag state performance table from the International Chamber of Shipping.
Palau has just shy of 5m gt on its books, with its flagged fleet having an average age of 27.7 years, some five years higher than the global average, according to data from Clarksons Research.
