Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Doug Barrow, a well-known figure in London shipping circles, has become the new Director of the UK Ship Register (UKSR) in April. He aims to be quality owners’ first choice

The appointment was described by the UK Government as being part of a wider move to energise the country’s maritime[ds_preview] sector and encourage greater inward investment, as well as being intended to promote the UK flag as a world-class register.

Barrow joins the UKSR after an early career at sea as an engine officer, including seven years sailing under the Red Ensign. After that, he spent 30 years in the bunker industry before becoming chief executive of Maritime London, the umbrella body promoting the UK’s maritime business services’ sector, eleven years ago.

The UKSR has traditionally come under the control of UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency but will henceforth enjoy greater autonomy. However, Barrow will be expected to liaise closely with new MCA chairman Michael Parker, formerly head of CMA CGM (UK), to benefit from the latter’s experience of shipowner requirements from a flag.

»I’m incredibly enthusiastic about working with a first-class team to ensure the UKSR is the register of choice for quality owners,« Barrow said upon his appointment.

In his first few months in charge Barrow has already moved quickly to implement change, trying to bring a greater commercial focus to the flag in line with the recommendations of the Maritime Growth Study carried out by the UK government in consultation with industry in 2016.

That study concluded that the UKSR required greater autonomy and a new structure in order to provide »a more commercial, customer focused, timely and pragmatic service« to users of the UK flag.

Speaking at a conference in Athens in July, Barrow reported that a new directorate for the UKSR has already been established in Southampton; digitalization of the register is underway; and that a greater amount of inspection and survey work will henceforth be delegated to classification societies that are authorised as Recognised Organisations (ROs) rather than relying entirely on MCA surveyors.

Class societies currently enjoying RO status in the UK include ABS, BV, DNV GL, LR, ClassNK and RINA. In future it is thought their role will be enlarged to allow them to carry out International Safety Management (ISM) audits, International Ship and Port Security (ISPS) audits, and Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 inspections as well as other survey work.

In this way the UKSR’s response to client requests will be »faster«, Barrow promised, assisted by an increased overseas presence for the register, while at the same time package fees will be introduced to make the flag more competitive commercially.

The UKSR also has in place an Alternative Compliance Scheme (ACS), Barrow pointed out, that streamlines the survey and certification process by allowing the MCA to maintain an oversight of the structure of the ship and its management systems through ACS inspections (for issuance of Certificates of Inspection), ISM audits, ISPS audits and MLC 2006 inspections.

Currently the register numbers more than 1,300 vessels representing 15.7m gt, making it around the 15th largest fleet in the world, with that tonnage figure growing at a rate of 4.5% annually, Barrow added.

Flying the UK flag normally involves having a management base in the UK, which in turn paves the way for company to benefit from UK Tonnage tax, one of the first schemes of its kind introduced as far back as 2000.

At the same time »certification and survey costs are among the lowest available,« he added, while the flag remains on the Paris and Tokyo ‘white lists’ and US Coast Guard Qualship 21 programme.

Barrow concluded with his vision as new UKSR Director to »grow the flag without compromising customer service or quality levels.«