Maritime and Corporate Administrator of the
Republic of the Marshall Islands
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| Maritime and Corporate Administrator of the Republic of the Marshall Islands |
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MARSHALL ISLANDS SHIPOWNERS CAN NOW VERIFY SEAFARER CERTIFICATIONS ON THE WEB The Marshall Islands registry, administered by International Registries, Inc. (IRI), announced March 18, 2001 that vessel owners and operators throughout the world can verify potential employees' Marshall Islands seafarer documents on the IRI Web site.
In addition, all Marshall Islands seafarers' documents are closely accounted for, and under the Marine Operations Department's ISO 9002-certified quality system there are special audit procedures in place to prevent abuses such as the unauthorized issuance of certificates to unqualified applicants. "With a growing industry of specialized forgers, and easy access to high-tech reproduction facilities, the problem is set to increase dramatically," said Captain Norman. "The most effective way of dealing with it is for registries to have control procedures in place for document issuance, and to maintain publicly accessible Web sites listing details of the certificates issued by them." Captain Norman's expertise in this area is well earned. He was formerly chief of the Licensing and Evaluation Branch at the headquarters of the United States Coast Guard and has been a participant at IMO since 1978, sitting on the subcommittee on Standards of Training and Watchkeeping. In this role he participated actively in the drafting of both the STCW 1978 and 1995 Conventions on The Standards of Training, Certificate and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. IRI's Web site address is www.register-iri.com
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| International Registries, Inc. has prepared materials for this web site for general informational purposes only. Online information should under no circumstances be used by anyone without first consulting legal counsel. The information on this site is not guaranteed or promised to be current. |
"Our Web site was one of the first to feature a searchable database including all of the valid licenses, seafarers' ID books and special qualifications issued," said Capt. James R. Norman, vice-president of Seafarers' Identification and Certification. "This facility was created several months ago and has already assisted the international maritime community in preventing the use of fraudulent documents. It is very easy to use by entering a certificate number, a person's name or date of birth." Captain Norman also indicated that the database of valid certifications, with more than 50,000 entries, is updated weekly.