Maritime navigation: a “premium” industry

On Thursday 9 May, the first bilateral meeting on maritime economic cooperation, entitled “Sailing to Europe”, took place at the Kursaal Congress Centre in San Marino. Although San Marino does not have any ports or access to the sea, this does not prevent the Republic from entering the shipping world in accordance with the main international conventions, developing synergies and partnerships with Italy in maritime economic cooperation. Domenico Gianluca Milizano, President of the San Marino Ship Registry, explained that UNCLOS provides for the rights and equal access of landlocked States. He then reiterated that “our aim is to fully exercise these rights and to build a strong maritime culture in San Marino, overlooking the Adriatic Sea from the top of Mount Titano”.

Also invited to the meeting was San Marino Audit Services & Certification, an internationally recognized certification body, accredited by the American certification body IAS, which provides certification and training services according to ISO international level standards. This company was born and founded in San Marino in 2018, but has issued more than 2,000 certifications to about 1,700 customers worldwide, with a turnover of about 2.5 million euros last year. “Our company specializes in quality management according to the latest ISO standards and is pleased to accept the invitation to contribute its skills and experience to this event”, explains Massimo Magrin, Sales Director. “In a world where maritime transport accounts for more than 90% of the world’s total transport, and ports are a key element between the economies of countries, the concept of quality finds a natural place in terms of growth, development and well-being, as well as constituting a fundamental element to limit operational risks through the development of business processes. In this direction, Audit Services & Certification intends to continue its work, raising awareness among companies and public administrations that want to improve their performance by taking into account the dynamics of the “human factor” within each organization, whether public or private, by developing a new “leadership” approach that stimulates motivation and trust in human resources”.

In addition to raising awareness of certain issues in a specific area, Audit Services & Certification also has major relevant experience in this field: “To give you an example”, explains Magrin, “just recently we validated and certified the Eastern and Western Caspian Sea, managing the ports of Catania, Augusta, Pozzallo, as well as the port of the Ligurian Sea in La Spezia, and we will soon do the same for the Port of Syracuse. Not only that, but we also provide all the necessary training to our employees through our Academy and have obtained certification for the training courses for Lead Auditors of Quality, Environmental and Safety standards (9001, 14001, 45001 and soon 27001). The results have been very positive in terms of operational improvements in the organization, but above all in terms of cultural development on this important subject”.

It is for this reason that the Audit Services & Certification Company was invited to the event on May 9th, which proved to be a harbinger of new opportunities: “Sailing to Europe represents an important moment for discussions, especially in the in-depth analysis of international regulations and mandatory certification in the European maritime and ports sector, where for some issues “quality certification” is considered a mandatory requirement. Moreover, for our company it is an important opportunity to deepen our knowledge of the shipping world, which includes shipping companies and their related industries, the shipbuilding industry and the maritime public administration. This sector is inseparable from a quality culture for the reasons I have previously explained, also taking into account the strong dynamism of the sector from both an operational and legislative point of view”.

Knowledge and new opportunities that must now “land”, to put it in nautical language: “As Commercial Director”, Massimo Maglin finally declares, “our commitment will be to spread the values ​​of quality to potential clients working in the sector. Sea World has also launched a communication campaign through our institutional website, where we have drawn attention to the concept of TQMS (Total Quality Management System). In short, this means the involvement of all stakeholders that have commercial relations with the certified company to broaden the horizons of knowledge of the company’s best practices to achieve growth in a comfortable and safe environment”.

Admiral Greco

The San Marino Maritime Cluster chose Europe Day to welcome a delegation of Italian maritime sector representatives to the Kursaal Congress Centre. Introduced by the Director of the Maritime Navigation Authority, Loris Francini, the event entitled “Sailing to Europe” showcased the best maritime practices of both countries through various seminars where San Marino and Italian speakers, including Admiral Nicola Caron, Commander-in-Chief of the Port Authority Corps and Luigi Giardino, Head of the Navigation and Maritime Safety Department of the Port Authority General Command, discussed the successful development of the San Marino Naval Register and provided many suggestions on cooperation in the maritime economy in accordance with the Association Country Agreement between the Republic of San Marino and the European Union. “The San Marino Ship Registry only started in 2021, opening the doors to the international public for the registration of commercial and pleasure vessels”, explained Rear Admiral Giovanni Greco, in charge of Institutional Relations and Maritime Regulation Development, “but the Republic of San Marino has been a Member State of IMO since 2002 and is well established through the 21 international conventions ratified to date and the Ambassador to the IMO (International Maritime Organization), Giampaolo Admiral’s permanent presence, providing revised and strengthened regulations Benseia represents San Marino on the most important issues of global shipping through participation in all technical working committees related to maritime professional topics. This consistency, combined with strict and continuous control that allows your flag to be included in the White List, is not only an element of reputational value, but also an opportunity for the Registry and the Republic of San Marino: for obvious reasons, the main shipowners around the world choose the White Flag, which, obviously, once it complies with the current rules, allows them to act and operate more freely than those who choose the so-called Grey or “shadow” flag. We are therefore talking about a very strong competition on a global scale, and we are facing countries that have turned the White Flag into a real business, such as Panama or Liberia. As explained at the seminar I attended, the San Marino Registry is attracting important interest from international shipowners, thanks to its agility, transparency and continuous renewal, but also because of its favorable taxation and competitive registration costs, aimed at measuring different customer objectives. The growth is obvious: the number of registered units has increased by 284%, but “Greco warns, “as explained by our General Manager Gianluca Tucci, many requests have been rejected. This is testament to the choices made upstream and the value of remaining on the international white list. Especially in those areas, such as commercial cruises, which represent the best market for San Marino, whether for tourist purposes, such as heading to nearby Greece, or simply crossing the Adriatic, because from the other side is Croatia, another very popular sea mini cruise destination”.