All the major shipping nations make use of open registers, though the practice
varies considerably. Despite the attractions of open registry, many shipowners in
Greece, Japan, and the United States continue to register under their domestic flag
(Table 12.4). Because the use of open registers gives shipowners greater freedom
in their crewing arrangements, the system has been opposed by the seamen’s unions,
particularly the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). The ITF
produces a recommended wage scale and issues a blue card to the master of ships
employing crews paid on this scale. If the master cannot produce the blue card, the
unions may attempt to black the ship. This has been relatively successful in
persuading the owners of open registry flag vessels to observe pay scales. Although
open registry developed a mixed reputation in the 1980s, the commercial pressures
to ‘flag out’ have continued and many large shipping corporations eventually, and
often reluctantly, abandoned their national flag in favour of open registers. In
some cases the national flag responded to this trend by setting up its own open
register. Thus, in the 1990s open registers have, for the main part, fallen in line
with regulatory practice and this form of ownership has become accepted practice.