flag of convenience

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flag of convenience

the grant of a shipping ‘flag’ by a country to a non-national vessel owner. Flags of convenience are usually issued by countries not noted for their participation in international treaties governing shipping rights, and while the ‘flag’ establishes the legal credentials of the ship it often acts as a cloak for illegal activities (e.g. catching fish in unauthorized waters).

References in periodicals archive ?

Lower operating costs: Ship owners who use flags of convenience can save costs mainly on the crew wages and the maintenance costs.

Ports and Shipping - FLAG OF CONVENIENCE - OFF SHORE REGISTRY TO INDUCE PRIVATE SECTOR IN PAKISTAN

problem with flags of convenience. The fact of the matter is, due to

Flags of convenience and the Gulf oil spill: problems and proposed solutions

Thanks to the efforts of the International Transport Federation, Flags of Convenience (FOCs) may soon be required by several regulatory agencies and sanction bodies to take into account the degree to which foreign owned vessels are registered.

Lessons for shippers from the maritime disasters: recent well-publicized vessel losses highlight the need for stronger chain-of-custody laws and tighter controls on "Flags of Convenience."

The phenomenon of flags of convenience ship registration thus suggests that in some contexts, regulatory havens will exist and will draw industry actors.

Globalization, competition, and convergence: shipping and the race to the middle

And a concerted international campaign should be launched to root out the cowboy operators flying under flags of convenience.

Record View: Lessons have been ignored

The study commissioned by the environmental group WWF, the Australian government and the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) said flags of convenience are the cornerstone of the illegal fishing industry.

Flags of convenience & overfishing

"For far too long, many supermarkets have been using tertiary brands as flags of convenience to sell products that do not meet standards of animal welfare specified for their own label lines.

Sainsbury's label move welcomed

Yes, they risk losing their cargoes to pirates, but in return, the lack of regulation allows them to boost their profits by using flags of convenience and the other oddities of ocean law that have developed over the past 500 years.

The Outlaw Sea: Chaos and Crime on the World's Oceans

Langewiesche tells of convoluted patterns of registry and ownership, ships flying "flags of convenience," and routine flouting of the 1994 International Law of the Sea, to which the US is not a signatory.

The Outlaw Sea

Eight nations are currently registering vessels under their 'flags of convenience' regulations to raise much needed revenue.

Liberia's flag of 'inconvenience': Liberia's days as the world's second largest ship registry may be numbered. A new anti-terror accord with the US allows the American navy to board any Liberian registered vessel

As a result, flags of convenience and false certificates for merchant navy officers were the issues that most needed to be tackled.

Prestige inquiry--EP

In fact, many British-owned ships do not fly the red ensign, but fly 'flags of convenience'."