Nicaragua and Equatorial Guinea have been flagged by maritime AI firm Windward as new registers to have recently emerged, taking on shadow tonnage. “False flagging remains one of shipping’s most pressing regulatory concerns,” Windward stated in a recent report. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) database listed 550 falsely flagged ships at the end of Q1, up from 470 in the prior quarter, including 367 tankers. Last week, the IMO approved new guidelines aimed at improving transparency in ship registration and cracking down on the growing misuse of flags. We will continue to chase problems that are structurally baked into the system Adopted by the IMO’s Legal Committee during its 113th session in London, the measures are designed to strengthen due diligence, enhance oversight of registries and ensure the accuracy of vessel ownership records. The move comes in response to a sharp rise in fraudulent registrations and so-called false flag operations. The new framework focuses on tightening controls over who can carry out registrations, improving quality assurance procedures, and strengthening checks on vessel identity and eligibility. David Heindel, president of the Seafarers International Union of North America, described the IMO’s move as a “reasonable” step. However, in comments sent to Splash, he wrote about what he described as the “uncomfortable truth”. “Most flag states today are operating as businesses—for profit—not as true sovereign regulators with a genuine link to the vessel,” Heindel warned, arguing: “Until the international community is willing to confront the commercialization of flag registries and reestablish the principle of a genuine link between vessel and flag, we will continue to chase problems that are structurally baked into the system.” googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1_95_0_1_2'); }); TagsNicaragua