On the newly published Whitelist from Paris MoU — which shows how ships flying different flags perform under port state controls in the ports of Paris MoU member countries — Denmark is ranked in second place.

This time, Denmark has just been overtaken by France, which sneaks into first place. Denmark had otherwise firmly held the top position for the past four years. Norway takes third place.

“One of the reasons why Denmark, despite being a small country, has succeeded in maintaining its position as one of the world’s most successful maritime nations is that the Danish flag stands for quality and integrity. Customers know they can rely on Danish-flagged ships to deliver high quality. Therefore, it is very positive that Danish shipping once again distinguishes itself in­ter­na­tio­nal­ly. But I would expect nothing less,” said Anne H. Steffensen, CEO of Danish Shipping.

The Paris MoU port state control regime carries out more than 17,000 inspections each year of foreign ships calling at ports in one of the 28 member countries in Europe and North America.

“Now I obviously hope that we can reclaim first place again next year. Because there is no time to rest on our laurels. It requires dedication and continued focus on safety, the environment, and the health and welfare of seafarers on board if Denmark is to remain among the world’s best-performing flag states in the future. And we must,” said Anne H. Steffensen.