Former Port of Cork chief commercial officer Conor Mowlds is heading a new Cork office for International Registries, Inc. (IRI), the US-based company providing administrative and technical support to the Republic of the Marshall Islands ship registry, currently the world’s second largest by gross tonnage.
The office, announced on Wednesday (28 October) at the Irish Maritime Commerce Forum in Dublin, is IRI’s first in Ireland and its 29th worldwide. It will support Irish-based shipowners and operators already using the Marshall Islands flag and seek further maritime and corporate registry business.
The Marshall Islands registry comprised 6,819 vessels totalling 227 million gross tons at 30 September 2026, according to IRI. The Cork opening represents a new local presence for the registry’s service provider, rather than a relocation of the registry itself.
Conor Mowlds takes charge
Mowlds joined IRI in October 2025 as senior maritime representative for Ireland, following a career spanning seagoing service, maritime education and port management. He previously headed the National Maritime College of Ireland and served as chief commercial officer at the Port of Cork.
Afloat reported his departure from the Port of Cork in July 2025, when the port said he was moving to an international opportunity in the maritime sector. He also chaired Cruise Ireland during efforts to strengthen links with the British cruise industry.
“We have established customers in Ireland who deserve world-class local service, and we are committed to delivering exactly that,” Mowlds said. He added that IRI wanted to contribute to the commercial environment supporting Cork’s maritime sector.
Cork’s maritime business ambitions
IRI has participated in the Cork Futures Group, a government development initiative, contributing to work aimed at growing the city’s maritime commerce cluster. Its presence gives that effort an additional international shipping-services participant, although the announcement did not specify employment numbers or an investment value for the office.
IRI president Bill Gallagher said the company saw potential in Ireland and Cork as an international maritime hub. “The talent is here, the infrastructure is here, and the policy momentum is building,” he said.
Minister of State Seán Canney, whose responsibilities include ports, welcomed the announcement at the forum, describing the move as a significant development for Irish maritime commerce.
The company’s participation in the Cork Futures Group is linked to an ambition to secure recognition for Cork as Ireland’s maritime capital. That remains a policy aspiration rather than an official designation. Cork City Council chief executive Valerie O’Sullivan also welcomed the opening as a contribution to the city’s developing maritime services cluster.
IRI, which is headquartered in Reston, Virginia, operates offices in shipping and financial centres including London, Hamburg, Singapore and Hong Kong. It has also recently joined the Irish Chamber of Shipping.
Further information is available from International Registries, Inc..
