THE Ministry of Transport will open an office in Singapore in late August in a bid to increase the number of shipping lines that fly the Myanmar flag, thereby boosting the country’s revenue, said a senior official at the ministry’s Department of Marine Administration.

“The ministry has so far earned about US$110,000 from the 19 foreign vessels that fly the Myanmar flag,” said the department’s director-general, U Soe Win.

He said that operating an office in Singapore will make it easier for Myanmar to administer and monitor ships flying the country’s flag and will help efforts to attract more foreign shipping lines by making them aware of the benefits of flying the flag.

The effort will not only bring in more income but also create job opportunities for Myanmar seafarers, he said.

“Myanmar has a growing number of workers holding seafarer certificates, and more workers means greater income for the country,” said U Soe Win.

There are 60,000 registered seafarers in Myanmar, about 12,000 of whom work at sea each year.

The cost of flying Myan-mar’s flag is reasonable compared to flying flags from other countries, said U Soe Win.

The Ministry of Transport is responsible for ensuring that vessels flying Myan-mar’s flag operate within the guidelines of the 1982 United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty and the conventions of the UN International Maritime Organisation.

Myanmar, a member of the IMO since 1951, has signed eight of the organisation’s 28 conventions.