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Flag of convenience (FOC) is a business practice whereby a ship's owners register a merchant ship in a ship register of a country other than that of the ship's owners, and the ship flies the civil ensign of that country, called the flag state. The term is often used pejoratively, and although common, the practice is sometimes regarded as contentious. Each merchant ship is required by international law to be registered in a registry created by a country, and a ship is subject to the laws of that country, which are used also if the ship is involved in a case under admiralty law. A ship's owners may elect to register a ship in a foreign country which enables it to avoid the regulations of the owners' country which may, for example, have stricter safety standards. They may also select a jurisdiction to reduce operating costs, avoiding higher taxes in the owners' country and bypassing laws that protect the wages and working conditions of mariners. The term "flag of convenience" has been used since the 1950s. A registry which does not have a nationality or residency requirement for ship registration is often described as an open registry. Panama, for example, offers the advantages of easier registration and the ability to employ cheaper foreign labour. Furthermore, the foreign owners pay no income taxes.
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The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) is a global effort that aims to stop trafficking of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), their delivery systems, and related materials to and from states and non-state actors of proliferation concern. Launched by United States President, George W. Bush in May 2003 at a meeting in Kraków, Poland, the PSI has now grown to include the endorsement of 105 nations around the world, including Russia, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Argentina, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Singapore, New Zealand, Republic of Korea and Norway. Despite the support of over half of the Members of the United Nations, a number of countries have expressed opposition to the initiative, including India, China and Indonesia.
The Santorini was a fishing boat used for weapons-smuggling, which was captured in May 2001 by the Israeli Shayetet 13 Naval Commando Unit. This was the first ship caught in an attempt to smuggle weapons to Palestinian-controlled territories. In May 2002, three of the Santorini's crew members were convicted of attempting to smuggle weapons into the Gaza Strip.
Provisional Irish Republican Army arms importation into Ireland for use in Northern Ireland began in the early 1970s. With these weapons it conducted an armed campaign against the British state in Northern Ireland.
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The MV Francop is a German-owned, Antigua and Barbuda-flagged merchant cargo ship. In November 2009 the Israeli navy boarded the vessel in the Mediterranean Sea, suspecting that it was carrying weapons destined for Hezbollah from the Islamic Republic of Iran in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701. Hundreds of tons of weapons were found on the ship, which was then directed to berth in Israel.
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Chong Chon Gang is a North Korean cargo ship, later renamed the Tong Hung San.
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The Klos C is a Marshall Islands-owned, Panamanian-registered merchant cargo ship. The Klos C was built in 1996, in Saint Petersburg, Russia by the shipbuilders Severnaya Verf. At the time of its christening, it was briefly known by the name Otztal, after which its name was changed to Klostertal and then Klos C in July, 2012.
The Dai Hong Dan incident took place on 29 October 2007, when the North Korean cargo vessel MV Dai Hong Dan was attacked and temporarily seized by Somali pirates off Somalia. The following day, the crew of the vessel overpowered the pirates with the support of a U.S. naval vessel.
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United Nations Security Council Resolution 2375 was adopted on 11 September 2017. The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a new sanctions resolution against North Korea, a response to its sixth nuclear test on September 3. The resolution reduces about 30% of oil provided to North Korea by cutting off over 55% of refined petroleum products going to North Korea.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps stated on 25 October 2021 that they had thwarted an attempt by the United States to capture and detain a tanker carrying Iranian oil in the gulf of Oman by carrying out a heliborn operation and directing the ship back to Iran's territorial waters. The Pentagon rejected the Iranian statement and said that Iranian forces had seized a Vietnamese-flagged oil tanker in October.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Warrick, Joby (October 1, 2017). "A North Korean ship was seized off Egypt with a huge cache of weapons destined for a surprising buyer". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ↑ Board, Jack (April 23, 2017). "The curious case of North Korea in Cambodia". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on May 31, 2017.
In August, North Korean vessel Jie Shun, sailing under a Cambodian flag, was seized carrying a large shipment of munitions. That action coincided with an end to the kingdom’s flag convenience scheme, known to have assisted North Korea smuggle drugs and weapons throughout the world for years.
- 1 2 Fifield, Anna (June 12, 2017). "North Korea's trading partners are linked, and that could make them vulnerable". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 1, 2017.
- ↑ Brunnstrom, David (June 12, 2017). Tait, Paul (ed.). "North Korea sanctions-skirting network could be defeated by targeting China firms: report". Reuters . Archived from the original on October 2, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
C4ADS said that when the vessel, the Jie Shun, was seized, its registered owner was a firm owned by Sun Sihong, who listed her residential address as an apartment in the same complex as Sun Sidong.
- ↑ "Seized ship carring[ sic?] North Korean weaponry". The Express. 3 October 2017. p. 10.
- ↑ Schkvarkin, Erofey (October 2, 2017). "Chinese freighter with North Korean arms seized in Egypt". Maritime Bulletin. Archived from the original on 2017-10-02. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
- ↑ Warrick, Joby (October 1, 2017). "A North Korean ship was seized off Egypt with a huge cache of weapons destined for a surprising buyer". Washington Post . USA. Archived from the original on 2017-11-28. Retrieved November 23, 2017.