300 million GT under the Liberian flag. A leader in maritime trade and shipyards.

Liberia is strengthening its leadership position as the world’s largest shipping registry. According to the latest Lloyd’s List 2025 rankings, Liberia, with approximately 17% market share, has maintained its position as the leading flag, visible on almost every type of vessel and found in every corner of the globe. This position will only strengthen, as 25.24% of new ships built worldwide are under the supervision of the Liberian registry.

Liberia significantly overtakes Panama and the Marshall Islands in terms of registered gross tonnage, leading the group of registries in the top three. The top 10 registries now collectively control over three-quarters of global merchant ships over 500 t deadweight.

Liberia regained the top spot in the rankings in 2023 after overtaking Panama and continues to strengthen its dominance. As of November 1, 2025, the Liberian registry controlled nearly 300 million gross tons (GT) of merchant ships sailing the world’s oceans. “This is the result of a steady 3.2% year-on-year increase in vessel acquisitions,” notes Lloyd’s List. . The editors of this publication have significantly promoted Alfonso Castillero, CEO of the Liberian Registry (LISCR), placing him in the top 50 in the Lloyd’s List Top 100 People in Shipping 2025 ranking.
As of early 2025, the Liberian Registry oversaw a fleet of over 286 million GT with an approximately 17% market share. The Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry (LISCR) is essentially a registry administered by a private company managing the registration of ships and companies under the Liberian flag. The company has offices in leading maritime centers around the world.

The headquarters is located in Washington, D.C., 22980 Indian Creek Drive, Dulles, VA 20166 USA. In Liberia, The LISCR Trust Company is located in Monrovia, in the Petereva Building at 10th Street & Tubman Boulevard. Over 550 auditors and inspectors operate from numerous offices around the world. The motto of this large team is: “Wherever a Vessel Sails, We Are There with Them.”
LISCR builds its competitive advantage in various ways. For example, the Liberia-China agreement offers operators a 28% reduction in port dues. The company encourages registration, calculating that “this translates into annual savings of up to USD 100,000, depending on the vessel’s size.”
The Green Ship Recycling Program for Vessels on Final Voyage also encourages registration under the Liberian flag. This program ensures the rapid reflagging of a vessel destined for a scrap yard. A shipowner destined for scrapping can register or re-flag a vessel under the Liberian flag using the “Final Voyage” formula. This allows for transit in ballast to a shipbreaking yard that operates in accordance with IMO regulations and the Hong Kong Convention.

A Course for Innovation and Safety
The Liberian flag is positioned in the Port State Control databases as a safe white flag, ensuring high standards of ship technical condition and safety. It is emphasized that Liberian-flagged vessels comply with the conventions set out in the Paris and Tokyo Agreements. “Our mission is to eliminate substandard ships through a harmonized port state control system,” emphasizes the LISCR management board.

The key to this success is undoubtedly Alfonso Castillero, President of LISCR.

“Alfonso Castillero is a man who demands attention. The increasingly ubiquitous president of the world’s largest shipping registry is currently at the center of most important industry conversations,” note maritime industry experts.

Flag, Innovation, and Geopolitics
LISCR states that “after a 10-year campaign to overtake Panama and regain its status as the leading flag state, one might assume that the head of the US-based Liberian International Ship & Corporate Registry would be fully focused on consolidating this position in the commercial sphere.” However, this is not the case. The LISCR president has participated in a large number of projects aimed at, among other things, decarbonizing shipping and broadly implementing innovations in maritime transport. Among the over 40 initiatives, he supported the development of alternative fuel systems. Castillero also supported the implementation of regulatory, technical, and safety compliance reforms.

“Since 2016, we have participated in over 40 innovative joint industry projects (JIPs) in ship design, in collaboration with shipyards, classification societies, shipowners, and other stakeholders,” Castillero said in an interview for “Leadership Insights,” a publication of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS).

This activity has resulted in the development of innovative ship designs, the implementation of new technologies in maritime transport, and the introduction of alternative fuels for ship propulsion. LISCR explains that “choosing a ship’s flag used to be a relatively simple commercial decision, similar to searching for the best insurance deal.” Now, it is more often a geopolitical calculation based on operational factors. And because “as shipping increasingly becomes a weapon in trade wars, flags and ownership are more important than ever.”

The changes introduced by LISCR’s president in positioning the company in the maritime transport market were in this direction. This approach, which takes into account the geopolitical role of shipping, has become the basis for the market success of the Liberian registry in all major sectors of the industry.