International Registries, Inc. and its affiliates (IRI) continue to expand resources to provide strong support tothe Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) fleet throughout Asia and the world. With 11 offices in the FarEast, including Busan, Dalian, Hong Kong, Imabari, Manila, Qingdao, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei,Tokyo, and bridge support from Vancouver and Long Beach, IRI provides comprehensive administrative andtechnical support to the RMI Registry throughout Asia and beyond.
Since 2007, IRI’s Tokyo office has provided marine safety, technical, and operational services to shipownersand operators in Japan. As of 30 September 2022, the RMI fleet stood at 193.8 million gross tons, and 7.4% ofthat tonnage is Japanese owned or operated. Japan is recognized as one of the largest ship owning andshipbuilding nations in the world.
“Our long-term presence in Japan supports one of the largest and most dynamic shipping industries in theworld,” said IRI President Bill Gallagher. “We have long-term relationships built upon decades of trust andrespect, and as Japan has made a significant commitment and investment to a sustainable shipping future, wehave strategically placed our resources to provide technical, administrative, and operational support to ourowners and operators as they invest in decarbonization technology,” he continued.
Mr. Masaharu Okamoto became IRI’s chief representative in Tokyo in 2007, providing local representationand services to Japanese owners and operators flying the RMI flag.
“Confidence in the RMI flag grew significantly once the office opened and the local market recognized thehigh-quality services and support the Registry provides,” noted Mr. Okamoto. “The RMI Registry was the firstforeign flag to open full technical and administrative services in Japan and it quickly expanded in 2011opening a second office in Imabari,” he continued. Mr. Okamoto works closely with other regional offices as abroad and strong network of services throughout Asia.
“Our offices in Asia offer support to a large amount of RMI flagged vessels trading in the region,” noted AnnieNg, Head of Asia. “Hong Kong and Manila handle almost a third of the global seafarers’ documentationproduction for the fleet,” she continued.
This level of production is supported by more than 100 IRI employees across the Far East who provide notonly seafarer documentation, but also technical and fleet operation support, business development and clientservices, and more. Recent renovations to the Manila office and newly established offices in Qingdao andVancouver demonstrate the Registry’s commitment to the region. Hong Kong, with 28 team members, is thelargest office in Asia, followed closely by Manila and Singapore.
After 20 years based in Hong Kong, Ms. Ng opened the Registry’s Vancouver office earlier this year as abridge between business hours in Asia and IRI’s headquarters in Reston, Virginia.
“Several decades ago, we made a significant commitment to our owners and operators in Asia,” noted AnnieNg. “We continue to enhance our local resources and services to help them best position for the future,” sheconcluded.
