On December 5, 2013 Iason Hellenic Shipping Co. Ltd (IHS) together with MV Caravos Glory, MV Caravos Harmony and MV Caravos Liberty became eligible and received approval for entry into the Qualship 21 Program of the U.S. Coast Guard.
The Qualship 21 Program is an initiative of the U.S. Coast Guard launched in 2001 with a goal to identify high-quality ships that are operated responsibly and provide incentives to encourage quality operations by rewarding these ships and their managers for their commitment to safety and quality.
To date, less than 350 dry bulk vessels have entered the Qualship 21 program out of a world fleet of circa 10,000 dry bulk vessels, of which more than 3,500 fly the flags of qualified Flag Administrations that have submitted to the U.S Coast Guard copies of their IMO Voluntary Member State Audit Scheme Executive Summary and/or Self Assessment Form.
In his letter to IHS, Commander M.B. Zamperini, Chief of Foreign & Offshore Vessel Compliance Division of the U.S. Coast Guard noted: “We have completed our review and would like to congratulate Iason Hellenic Shipping Co. Ltd on the approval of the Caravos Glory, Caravos Harmony and Caravos Liberty for entry into our quality shipping program. (…). In recognition of this superior achievement, the U.S. Coast Guard has provided a Qualship 21 Certificate for your organization and one for the Caravos Glory, Caravos Harmony and Caravos Liberty. You should know that less than ten percent of all foreign-flagged ships that operate in the United States meet the eligibility requirements of this program, putting your qualified vessels in an elite class. This is a remarkable accomplishment and I applaud the efforts of your organization and the master and crew of the qualified vessels for setting such a high standard of excellence.”
Mr Themistocles Al. Petrakis, Commercial Director of IHS noted on the occasion: “We are very excited as this achievement resonates with our on-going tenacious efforts to maintain a high standard in every aspect of our operations. Notably, less than 4% of foreign-flagged dry bulk vessels and less than 10% of all foreign-flagged vessels visiting the United States qualify for entry into this program. We consider this qualification an important milestone in establishing IHS as a distinctly reliable provider of worldwide seaborne transportation and ship management services. In terms of our principals, the qualification reflects higher fleet utilization rates, lower assumed operational risks and even more competitive insurance terms, whereas, to our customers, particularly those engaged in the global trade of U.S. agricultural and energy products, the qualification translates to swifter turnarounds at U.S. ports, lower overall cost of transportation and cargoes being exposed to a safer operational environment.”
Iason Hellenic Shipping Co. Ltd is a leading international transporter of dry bulk commodities at sea and ship management firm established in 1983. IHS provides a full suite of commercial, technical, crew and other ship management services to its principals and through its managed fleet, has transported over 30 million tonnes of dry bulk commodities on behalf of a wide range of distinguished charterers.