Shake up of consulates and Panama Shipping registry

 A SHAKE UP in Panama’s consulates and shipping registration is under way in what has been called a “historic reform” which will lead to the closing of some consulates and appointing consuls with professional qualifications.
Vice president and foreign minister, Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado, said on Tuesday, July 22, that the Cabinet is introducing a project called “Transparency consular system” which seeks to reform the functioning of consulates and Panama shipping registration. 
According to Saint Malo, this project could result in a 25% increase in revenues from this area. “The resources generated by the external service belong to the Panamanian people. It’s time to be handled with transparency and reliability, ” she said. 

While Panama remains on the A list of the International Maritime Organization. “Irregularities in the system have resulted in the loss of confidence by industry players worldwide so that , only 6% of new ships are now registered with the Panamanian flag, she said.
More expenses than income were observed in some instances, according to the Presidency; while in others “there is a dichotomy of functions that cause problems in the merchant marine service centers
To formalize the proposal, a commission has been set up to review the current legal framework.
The commission will consist of the President, and Minister of Foreign affaird,; Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; Deputy Minister of Economy and Finance, the Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority and the Deputy Administrator of the Panama Maritime Authority.
These members will also appoint a committee of professionals with experience in the consular issue of the merchant marine, who will work pro bono to provide the necessary inputs to enable the development of a comprehensive and consensual proposed, and in a three-month period presented proposals to the President, Juan Carlos Varela, for evaluation.
“Among the expected changes is the establishment of a new procedure for the collection of revenue by creating a single account; closing some consulates, to be supplemented by a virtual system; allocation of consuls with aproper professional profile, and setting goals and objectives that encourage the development of merchant shipping through the register of ships of new construction,” according to the Ministry of Communication .