Mongolia and Italy signed a Memorandum on Cooperation in Maritime Transport, Seaport Access and Logistics on December 6 in Geneva. The memorandum was signed by Ambassador of Mongolia to Italy Ts.Jambaldorj and Paolo Emilio Signorini, President of the Port Authority of Genoa and Savona. During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on bilateral cooperation in maritime transport, access to seaport, usage of ships and customs and logistics.

With more than 250 days of sun a year, Mongolia  is rightly known as the ‘Land of the Blue Sky’; the link with the blue sea is less obvious. The nation’s capital, Ulaanbaatar, is located more than 1,300 kilometers from the sea and Mongolia is the largest landlocked country in the world. Nevertheless, over the last decade Mongolia has developed a maritime tradition that it rarely speaks of, offering flags of convenience to ship owners since 2003. Although little attention has been given to Mongolia’s merchant marine, the lack of transparency and scrutiny associated with the risk facilitating illicit activities and causing serious reputational damage to the country.  The material benefit that the Mongolian State derives from its merchant navy is far from clear, making it reasonable to question whether Mongolia’s maritime tradition is worth preserving, or if it would be best abandoned.

The Mongolian Ship Registry’s stated mission is to “provide excellence in registry and marine services.” Over the course of ten years the Mongolian merchant fleet grew rapidly and, according to the UN, reached a total dry weight tonnage capacity of 643,000 tons in 2013. The Mongolian fleet now comprises 168 vessels and, in terms of dry weight tonnage, is the largest merchant fleet of any landlocked country except Switzerland (1,144 tons) and Luxembourg (1,601 tons) – both highly developed economies with long traditions of nominal ownership.