Marine delegates from across the globe descended on St George’s today to attend the 25th annual Red Ensign Group conference.

The opening ceremony took place at the Town Hall and was attended by Transport Minister Shawn Crockwell, his permanent secretary Francis Richardson, the Mayor of St George’s Quinell Francis and the visiting delegates.

Delegates from Anguilla, the Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Isle of Man, Jersey, British Virgin Islands and Montserrat are in Bermuda for this conference

The conference brings together representatives from the British Shipping Registers from the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the UK Overseas Territories which operate shipping registers from their jurisdictions.

Any vessel registered in the UK, a Crown Dependency or UK Overseas Territory, is a “British ship” and is entitled to fly the Red Ensign flag.

Mr Crockwell said: “Considering the different locations and diversity of the Red Ensign Group, it is not an easy task for the United Kingdom alone to shoulder the flag State responsibility over one of the largest and sophisticated shipping fleets of the world.

“The Red Ensign Group Conference plays a large and vital role in sharing and supporting the UK administration in meeting its flag State responsibilities, and also at the same time each REG member meeting its own responsibilities as a flag Administration.

“This conference is the forum for discussing and developing high level policies, and procedures relating to the implementation of complex international maritime conventions, maritime law, seafarers’ qualifications and standards and working and living conditions on board ships.”

This is the fourth time that this conference has been held in Bermuda.