Investigations are continuing into the ship that crashed into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore — and that includes an international connection to Asia.
The container ship Dali that slammed into a bridge pillar in Baltimore harbor on Tuesday is registered in Singapore.
That’s not unusual — every merchant ship needs to operate under the flag of a particular country.
According to the business journal Lloyd’s List, Singapore’s ship registry is the fifth-largest in the world.
Panama and Liberia top that list, and other popular registries include Hong Kong and the Marshall Islands.
For Singapore, this is a lucrative business.
The Straits Times reports about 4,000 ships operate under the Singapore flag.
The vessels need to be less than 17 years old, and the owner needs to be a Singapore citizen, permanent resident, or a Singapore-registered company — which can be locally or foreign-owned.
This is where the business part comes in. There are tax exemptions and other incentives. Compared to many other locations, incorporating in Singapore can be relatively easy.
Dali is owned by one Singapore company and managed by another.
It operates under Singaporean law when it comes to issues from environmental regulations to safety rules.
That’s why a team of Singaporean government officials is due in Baltimore starting today.
