Has Panama lost its position as the leading flag state ?

According to broker Clarksons, Liberia has overtaken Panama as the world’s leading flag state in terms of gross tonnage. This is the first time in 30 years that Panama has been overtaken. Liberia leads with 246.5 million gross tons against Panama’s 244.3 million.

Liberia is managed in the United States by the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR). Nevertheless, it remains second in terms of number of ships, with 5052 ships versus 8254 for Panama.

This first place is largely due to China, where Liberian-registered ships benefit from reduced port dues.