Ahead of its legal committee meeting this week, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has flagged Eswatini as one of two countries that are fraudulently registering vessels – the other country being Guyana.
Previously the South American state lodged an official objection with the IMO about the registration activities of a website calling itself the International Maritime Safety Agency of Guyana (IMSAG).
The website continues to operate under the auspices of the “International Ship Registry of Guyana” despite contract terminations involving the Maritime Administration Department of Guyana and a diversified services entity based in India of which IMSAG is a subsidiary.
Despite the government of Guyana’s warning that IMSAG is not operating in an official capacity, the website continues to provide registration services.
Pressure from the South Americans, however, seems to have prompted the Indian company to register vessels under the “Eswatini Maritime Affairs and International Ship Registry”, registered in Singapore.
The IMO has since warned that the Eswatini-flagged vessels are flying a false flag.
The Indian operator based in Delhi, though, is raking in fees as it continues to register vessels under the flags of Guyana and Eswatini, with Laos as its latest ‘accomplice’ in expanding its illegal shipping registry network.
Apart from being landlocked, neither Laos nor Eswatini are members of the IMO.
Asia Shipping Media reported this morning that the IMO warnings about vessels bearing the flags of Guyana and Eswatini are the latest additions to what appears to be an ongoing trend of fraudulent vessel registration after countries like Bolivia and Mongolia have also previously been subjected to flag abuse by unscrupulous operators.
