A recently released report reveals that more people are married on Bermudian-registered ships than in Bermuda itself.According to the Annual Report of the Registrar General, tabled my Minister of Government Estates and Information Services Michael Scott, a total of 776 marriages were performed on Bermuda-registered ships in 2010 compared to 619 performed on the Island.Mr Scott said that while both figures had declined since 2009, Cunard Cruises recently announced it has transitioned three of its ships to be registered on the Island, in part so they can carry out marriages on board.“When Government announced marriages on board Bermudian-registered ships some 12 years ago, it engaged a leap of faith, so to speak,” Mr Scott said. “Bermuda thus became the first country to formalise the conduct of maritime marriages.“It is interesting to note that over the past year, the Registrar General has been contacted by Government officials from the Commonwealth of the Bahamas and the United Kingdom seeking information with respect to the administration of maritime marriages.”Of the marriages performed locally, 317 were between two non-residents, 247 were between two residents and 55 were between a resident and a non-resident.The number of births on the Island fell last year, with 769 babies being born in 2010 compared to 819 in 2009, while the death rate remained constant at 7.2 per thousand with 475 deaths recorded.In total, the population grew by 0.4 percent to an estimated 66,105, marking the smallest increase since the 2000 census.“This fact adds credence to the view that Bermuda cannot provide the level of workforce population needed to support and grow our economy adequately,” Mr Scott said.“Consequently, the Government is obliged to look to ways in which the employment of non-Bermudians will aid this country in maintaining its competitive status whilst at the same time ensuring that measures are instituted that will promulgate policies for the protection and well-being of Bermudians.”