MAR continues to show a positive growth trend

The continuous and positive growth of companies in the International Business Centre of Madeira is also reflected in the results attained by the International Shipping Register of Madeira (MAR).

At the end of July, a total of 523 vessels were registered in MAR, including commercial vessels and pleasure and commercial yachts. Such figure represents 69 more vessels in relation to the same period of 2016 and a positive growth of the register of 15,2%.

MAR’s evolution can be also verified in the increase of the gross tonnage of the commercial vessels registered which reached at the end of last July a total of 13,250,422 tons, an increase of 27,5% in comparison with the first seven months of 2016.

The latest available data concerning the number of vessels, gross tonnage and the average age of the commercial vessels registered, confirms the consolidation of MAR's position among the best international registers of the European Union. The numbers are unquestionable and underline the strong efforts made to improve MAR’s quality standards as one of the fundamental conditions for its international credibility.

As far as the origin of the shipowners is concerned, MAR has been attracting an increasing number of shipping companies from markets with large commercial fleets. Along the year, the marketing plan for the International Shipping Register of Madeira has dedicated special attention to some of the largest fleets in the European Union, namely markets that have traditionally generated business in the shipping sector, such as Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Scandinavia.

As such, MAR continues to contribute to place Portugal in the group of countries with consistent positive performances, providing a very concrete contribution for the development of its maritime economy, through the creation of jobs both at sea and in support services in land, by generating additional tax revenues and by increasing the visibility of Portugal in the shipping world, enhancing its reputation among international organizations and contributing for the global promotion of the country.