Panama returns to Paris MoU White List for world’s biggest registry
Flag state climbs off the Grey List after a multi-year compliance drive
Panama has returned to the Paris MoU White List, lifting the port state control standing of the world's largest ship registry after a spell on the Grey List. The flag state ranks 36th on the 2025 White List, based on 5,731 inspections and 338 detentions over the 2023 to 2025 assessment period; the ranking is valid from 1 July 2026 to 6 July 2027.
The result marks an upgrade from the 2024 list, where Panama sat 48th on the Grey List with 5,854 inspections and 390 detentions. The Panama Maritime Authority called the White List a key international indicator of a maritime administration's quality. The status matters commercially because a flag's Paris MoU performance feeds ship-risk calculations that determine how often and how thoroughly vessels are inspected in member ports.
The authority linked the improvement to a multi-year compliance programme, including preventive inspections of higher-risk ships before arrival, closer monitoring of vessels with deficiency histories, tougher pre-checks for registry entry and stronger oversight of recognised organisations, owners and operators.
President Jose Raul Mulino cited the result in his 1 July address to the National Assembly and said the authority would now offer round-the-clock services to speed responses across time zones.
