The Bahamas Maritime Authority

The Bahamas Maritime Authority (BMA) is among the world’s top 10 largest ship registries, renowned for its reputation for quality service and high standards. Established in July 1995 by the Bahamas Maritime Authority Act, the BMA is responsible for overseeing ships flagged with The Commonwealth of The Bahamas (The Bahamas). With a head office in The Bahamas, the BMA operates a global network of offices, including locations in New York, London, Piraeus, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. The competent and experienced staff at these offices provide expert maritime services and advice to all our customers and stakeholders.

Committed to compliance, safety and continuous improvement, the BMA has attracted many of the world’s premier shipping companies to its registry. We work to ensure that Bahamianflagged ships adhere to the highest international standards, sharing our ethos of excellence.

The BMA maintains a fleet of over 1,500 ships, representing approximately 63 million gross tonnage. The Bahamas is a non-targeted flag from a Port State Control perspective, proudly listed on the whitelists of all Port State Control regions and recognized as a low-risk flag in the Paris and Tokyo MoUs.

As the leading flag state for passenger cruise ships, LNG carriers, and floating production, storage, and offloading units (FPSOs), the BMA actively represents The Bahamas at international regulatory forums such as the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and International Labour Organization (ILO).