The shipping industry must not trade safety for savings, Bermuda Registry of Shipping principal marine surveyor Mr. David Wright said.

The factor that most influences a vessel's safety is its crew, Mr. Wright said Friday at the first Bermuda international Shipping Association's (BISA) conference, `1995 Bermuda: Charting the Course', which was held at the Sonesta Beach Hotel.

"If a means could be found to represent the value of crew quality in a balance sheet it is possible that shipping could be appreciated as more than just a capital intensive industry.

"I believe it is also a personnel intensive industry which operates in an unpredictable and often dangerous environment where a good crew can mean the difference between success and failure,'' he said.

Availability of trained crew is considered one of the, if the not the major crisis, facing the shipping industry today.

In a world where shipping carries 97 percent of the world's trade, a good crew will keep an old ship safe but a bad crew can usually render the most modern ship with the latest technology unsafe, he said.

Mr. Wright and his colleagues are responsible for the safety of Bermuda registered ships and the prevention of pollution by Bermuda registered ships.

"It is anticipated that there will soon be an upturn in GRT now that the uncertainties over the future of register which resulted from the referendum on independence have been resolved,'' said Mr. Wright.

The Bermuda Shipping Register, established because ships played a major role in the Island's economy, has been continuous existence since 1786.

"The Bermuda Shipping Registry remained relatively obscure until the 1970s when the Bermuda Government decided to develop ship registration as part of an international business strategy,'' he said.

By 1978 the registry had grown to about two million gross registered tons (GRT).

After problems encountered when some Bermuda ships rescued Vietnamese refugees, Government considered disbanding the register.

But, after negotiations with the UN High Commission for Refugees in Geneva, a solution was found. In 1982, GRT had declined to less than one half million.

After redevelopment, tonnage rose to about two million GRT.

Presently, the register stands at three million GRT, said Mr. Wright. He cited several initiatives have been introduced to make registration in Bermuda more attractive, among them the; Protection of the Merchant Shipping Law.

A registration section known for its thoroughness in ensuring that ownership, mortgages and the owner's interests are properly recorded.

A sophisticated legal and business infrastructure.

"These factors in combination with the reputation of our ships for safety and their eligibility for protection by the Royal Navy provide plenty of good reasons for registering ships here,'' he said.

"The Bermuda Shipping Register's history is one of conservative and cautious growth.

"We are small and we wish to grow but we are all too aware of the problems of indiscriminate expansion,'' he said.

"During the past 20 years a number of new shipping registers have been established.

"Some have grown in spectacular manner and have found themselves a haven for substandard ships and have acquired a poor reputation.'' Bermuda-registered ships, like UK registered ships, fly the British Red Ensign.

Bermuda is represented at the International Maritime Organisation by the UK.