Morocco, Ukraine Expand Cooperation in Merchant Shipping Sector

Ukraine and the Kingdom of Morocco are going to develop relationships in the field of maritime merchant shipping.

On January 18, 2012 the Cabinet of Ministers adopted the decree “About the ratification by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of the Agreement between the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco about commercial shipping industry”. This Agreement has been signed by the parties on December 7, 2009 in Rabat (Morocco).

The basic aim of the Agreement – the regulation and development of relations between Ukraine and the Kingdom of Morocco in the field of merchant shipping, providing of a close cooperation. Also, the implementation of the Agreement will promote the overall development of trade and economic relations between the states.

The Agreement provides the mutual recognition by the Contracting States of the ship’s documents: documents certifying a nationality of a vessel, tonnage certificates and other ship’s documents, issued or recognized by one of the parties shall be recognized by the other party. Seafarer’s identity document issued by the competent authorities of the parties will also be recognized.

Also, the Kingdom of Morocco will provide the Ukrainian vessels in its ports and territorial seas under its sovereign jurisdiction the same treatment as their own ships of international transport. It deals with free access to ports, use of ports for loading and unloading of cargoes and for embarking/disembarking of passengers, conventional, commercial transactions and use of the service navigation. In addition, the same principle will be applied in respect to calculation of port charges and taxes. Similar commitments with respect to vessels of the Kingdom of Morocco will be operational for Ukraine.

The Parties shall take in accordance with their own legislation, all possible measures to reduce the duration of ships stay in their ports and simplify the administrative and other formalities in force in these ports.

In addition, the partied within their legislation will attract their own shipping companies and other enterprises working in the field of maritime merchant shipping, to develop all possible forms of cooperation, in particular in the field of maritime education, port services, prevention of marine pollution and sea rescue.