The United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, and Foreign Minister Michael Frendo on Thursday signed a bilateral Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) shipboarding agreement, making it the seventh such agreement signed by the United States.

The agreement is seen as an important indication of Malta’s commitment to combating the proliferation trade and its readiness to ensure that the more-than-1,200 maritime vessels registered under the Maltese flag are not abused by proliferators.

The PSI shipboarding agreement will facilitate cooperation between the United States and Malta to prevent illicit shipments by sea of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, or related materials by establishing procedures to board and search vessels suspected of carrying such items that are located in international waters.

If a US- or Malta-flagged vessel is suspected of carrying proliferation-related cargo, either party to the agreement can request the other to confirm the nationality of the ship in question and, if needed, to authorise the boarding, search, and possible detention of the vessel and its cargo.

More than 80 countries on six continents are PSI participants, having endorsed the PSI Statement of Interdiction Principles.