The International Maritime Organization ranked Egypt one of the most dangerous countries for maritime transport in a recent report. The report evaluates more than 200 member countries and puts them on either a black list, gray list or white list based on their observation of shipping regulations and safety procedures. The organization's 2010 report ranked Egypt 62nd out of 83 countries on the black list. Other countries on the black list include Libya, Syria, Mongolia, Togo, and North Korea. According to the report, Egypt's ranking has declined over the last two years, moving from the gray to the black list. Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Iran and Panama are on the gray list. Countries on the white list include France, the United Kingdom and Sweden. Qatar--the only Arab country on the white list--ranked number 38, outperforming Japan. An official Egyptian maritime transport source attributed Egypt's ranking to a number of factors--most prominent of which are widespread corruption in the auditing of ships and ferries, maintenance procedures, and in upholding the laws regulating the quality and operation of ships. The same source explained that the performance of Egypt's fleet has declined in recent decades and said efforts are being made to move Egypt off the black list. Translated from the Arabic Edition
