President Stefano Messina said the percentage of ships under Italian ownership but flying a foreign flag has risen from 36.43 per cent in 2021 to the current 40.83 per cent.
The figures cite data from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) referring to larger ships of 1000 gt (gross tonnage) and above.
“The decision to register ships abroad [favours] European flags, such as Malta, Cyprus, Finland and Portugal, which guarantee a simple bureaucracy,” said Messina.
“It is not just a question of costs or taxation.
“Lowering the Italian flag means lowering an important part of the Italian identity in the world, as well as weakening our negotiating power in international contexts.
“However, there is no doubt that the protection of the flag cannot be entrusted only to the resilience of Italian shipowners,” concluded the Assarmatori president.
ANSA
