The French merchant fleet has been, again, distinguished in the ranking made annually by the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS), according to news portal Mer et Marine.
France, like other 13 of 111 nations, meets all performance criteria established by the ICS. Among these are in particular the age of the fleet (with an average of 8 years the French fleet was one of the youngest in the world), the implementation of conventions of the International Maritime Organization, the recognition by classification societies or the Port State Control.
“In an increasingly competitive environment, the leading French shipowners have been struggling for 20 years to achieve quality shipping. It is the quality that is the key to our present day competitiveness in the international market,” said Raymond Vidil, President of French Shipowners .
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World Maritime News Staff, January 31, 2013; Image: French Line