Sweden Says Flag "Cannot Compete"

The Swedish Ministry of Transport has released a report concluding the flag cannot compete with those of other Scandinavian nations and therefore should have reduced emphasis in the country's transport policy going forward.

The OGSR reported earlier this year that Sweden stands at a crossroads regarding its future as a maritime flag state.

While it has previously announced consideration of adopting a tonnage tax, this new development seems to indicate that bolstering the nationally-registered fleet is less of a priority.

Maritime Denmark reports:

The Swedish Register of Shipping is not competitive, and it will probably never be. So is assessed in a new report from the governmental Trafikanalys, who recommends, that one focuses less on rebuilding a fleet under Swedish flag in the future.

According to the survey, Swedish shipowners perform well. The size of the Swedish-controlled fleet increased by 13 percent in 2012 in amount of vessels, and 16 percent in terms of capacity. But not under the Swedish flag. In the same period, the amount of ships under Swedish flag kept decreasing.

A number of Swedish ships are flagged out to Denmark, while the Faroe Islands have attracted many former Swedish vessels.

"It has among other things been possible because the Faroe Islands offers tax terms that go far beyond what would be possible in an EU country," it is stated in the report.

What do you think of Sweden's decision?