The number of ships flying foreign flags is increasing.

The fleet owned by Vietnamese businesses tends to increasingly fly the flag of convenience and accounts for a large proportion of the total national fleet.

According to statistics from the Vietnam Maritime and Inland Waterways Administration, the number of foreign-flagged vessels owned by Vietnamese shipowners has been steadily increasing in recent times.

The fleet of ships owned by Vietnamese businesses and flying foreign flags is on the rise for several reasons (Illustrative image).

Accordingly, foreign-flagged vessels accounted for 17% of the total number of vessels flying the Vietnamese flag in 2021, and this percentage increased to 22% in 2023. In terms of tonnage, foreign-flagged vessels accounted for 31% of the national fleet's total tonnage in 2021, and this increased to 45% in 2023, mainly consisting of large vessels serving international transport.

Explaining this, Mr. Hoang Hong Giang, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Maritime and Inland Waterways Department, stated that there are several reasons. One of the reasons is that, according to current regulations on the purchase and construction of ships, businesses that buy foreign ships older than 15 years will not be eligible to register them in Vietnam.

At the same time, many shipowners buy ships and raise their flags conveniently because they don't have to go through import procedures, reducing taxes and fees.

In addition, many foreign shippers also require ships to be flag-flagged vessels for convenience in operating international routes.

"This shows that the mechanisms for Vietnamese-flagged vessels are not flexible enough. Perhaps we have stricter regulations than other countries," shared a leader of the Vietnam Maritime and Inland Waterways Administration.

Statistics show that, as of December 2024, the total number of vessels registered in the Vietnam National Maritime Vessel Register was 1,490 (1,430 of which were seagoing vessels, and the remainder were other types of vessels).

The shipping fleet comprises 956 vessels with a total tonnage of approximately 10.5 million tons and 6.2 million GT. The average age of the current shipping fleet is about 17.4 years (5.2 years younger than the global average ).

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/tau-noi-treo-co-ngoai-ngay-cang-tang-192250307175247449.htm