Microstate of San Marino Launches Open Registry for Shipping

The landlocked Republic of San Marino, a microstate surrounded by Italian territory near the town of Rimini, has launched a new open registry for shipping. 

With 24 square miles of land area and about 33,000 citizens, San Marino is in competition with the Pacific island nations of Tuvalu and Nauru for the title of smallest country with an open flag. With about 1,800 years of continuous history as a republic, it may very well be the oldest state with an open registry operation.

The newly-incorporated San Marino Ship Register (SMSR) will operate the registry on the government's behalf, a common arrangement for shipping registry management. According to Domenico Gianluca Miliziano, the firm's president, the registry will keep an eye towards cost-effectiveness for its compliance and sustainability agenda. 

"The game has changed. Make San Marino your new flag of choice for a record 48-hour registration process, attractive fee and tax regimes, and no restrictions based on nationality," said Gianluca Tucci, the company's general manager. 

The new registry's offering is aimed at yacht owners, and it will debut at the Cannes Yacht Festival and Florida International Boat Show later this year. With a two-day online registration system, it intends to make the flagging process convenient and rapid. It also hopes to attract commercial shipowners to its services, and it will be represented at Posidonia next June.

“The brand-new partnership between the San Marino Maritime Authority and San Marino Ship Register will establish San Marino’s position as a key player in the maritime industry," said Marco Conti, Director General of the San Marino Civil Aviation and Maritime Navigation Authority.