The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) is making progress in implementing the Maritime Procedures System and Electronic Ship Registry (REN). This is a modern technological platform for ship registration that will optimize its development and facilitate access to information.
The project aims to unify the current management systems used for the flagging processes under the General Directorate of Merchant Marine (DGMM) and the registration of property titles and liens under the General Directorate of Public Registry of Ship´s Property (DGRPN).
“The REN is 80% developed. Currently, testing phases and adaptation improvements are being carried out based on the needs of the registry,” reported the PMA’s Secretary General, Volney Guinard Estripeaut, during a presentation to the media.
Guinard explained that the REN will establish new management capabilities for users, facilitate access to information, and ensure data confidentiality. It will also increase the efficiency and speed of the services provided and provide the required information security, considering the high standards of the industry.
“The REN project is a necessary investment for survival and competitiveness. The competition in the ship registration business is fierce. As a state registry, we are committed to improving our systems, providing more efficient service, and achieving customer satisfaction,” stated the AMP’s Secretary General.
It is expected that this new system could be fully operational by the first half of 2025, according to the PMA’s Secretary General.
This new technological platform involves an extraordinary reengineering of processes. Some of its functionalities include:
- Facilitating both national and international users in completing procedures by providing a web platform that allows for the consultation, tracking, and submission of applications or requests remotely from anywhere in the world.
- Providing a secure and electronic means for payment of procedures through credit or debit cards, with the implementation of the Institutional Payment Gateway.
- Minimizing the requirement and handling of physical documents within processes through the application of authentication and digital security technologies in document management, integrating qualified electronic signatures into the mechanisms to achieve complete traceability of the process and the generation of electronic documents and certificates.
- Maximizing the use of technological support tools for the management, review, approval, and registration of interconnected procedures and processes with the General Directorates of Merchant Marine (DGMM) and Public Registry of Ship’s Property (DGRPN).
The Panama Maritime Authority is responsible for administering, promoting, regulating, planning, and executing strategies, standards, plans, and programs related to the operation and development of the maritime sector, as well as promoting, coordinating, and executing the national maritime strategy.
