In order to grant the certification, the vessel has meet the below eligibility requirement:

1. The vessel must be registered to a QUALSHIP 21 qualified flag administration.
2. No substandard vessel detentions in the U.S. within the previous 36 months.
3. No marine violations or serious marine casualties and no more than one Notice of Violation (NOV) ticket in the U.S. within the previous 36 months.
4. A successful U.S. PSC safety exam within the previous 24 months.
5. Not owned or operated by any company (listed on vessel’s Continuous Synopsis Record) that has been associated with more than one PSC detention in U.S. waters within the previous 24 months.
6. Vessels cannot have their statutory convention certificates issued by a targeted recognized organization (RO). Targeted ROs are those that have points assigned in the U.S. Port State Control Matrix as listed in the most recent PSC Annual Report.
7. The Coast Guard reserves the right to restrict eligibility in the QUALSHIP 21 program to any vessel because of special circumstances. This includes but is not limited to significant overseas casualties or detentions and pending criminal or civil investigations.

To highlight, less than 20% of all foreign-flagged vessels that operate in the United States meet the strict eligibility requirements of this program; therefore, this achievement resonates with the on-going tenacious efforts of Optimum Ship Services operations for consistently maintaining an exceptional commitment to quality.