SSG No 10 - Shipgaz

SHIPPING AND SHIP MANAGEMENT
The 17,504 DWT sisterships the Voruta and the Romuva, built in 1998, were Lithuanian Shipping Company’s
second-last acquisitions.
Large companies
carry Lithuanian flag
When Lithuanian shipowners will
start ordering new ships from
shipyards depends, to a substantial
extent, on the parliament’s decision
concerning the taxation of shipping companies.
Until such a decision is made the fleet is
being renewed with second-hand ships,
which implies that while the number of
registered vessels is decreasing the aggregate
tonnage is increasing.
LITHUANIA
The Lithuanian parliament is expected
to pass an act on the tonnage tax before its
summer holiday, Vytautas Lygnugaris, president
of the Lithuanian Shipowners Association,
explains. For years the association
has explained the need to alter the social
tax that is paid on the wages of seamen.
Hopefully, a decision will soon be made
according to which, on an average, 1.5
times the pension insurance premium
would be made for seamen; the amount of
the premium will be roughly equal to the
social tax calculated on threefold the minimum
salary.
“While large shipping companies carry
the Lithuanian flag, smaller companies
which own 20–30 per cent of Lithuanian
vessels sail under foreign flags. Thus, one
should not think that the Lithuanian flag is
very good for a shipowner”, Mr Lygnugaris
states.
Renewing fleet
The Lithuanian Shipping Company (LJL)
is renewing its fleet. At present, ships built
in the 1990s prevail in the fleet. Some
recent purchases include the Clipper Falcon
(1995) and the Clipper Eagle (1994)
with a DWT of 16,900. Two vessels of the
Kapitonas type were put on sale and one of
them, the Kapitonas Simkus, has been
sold. Five ships of the Kapitonas type
remain. LJL plans on purchasing more
ships, but it is still too early to talk about
64 SCANDINAVIAN SHIPPING GAZETTE • MAY 21, 2007
LISCO