The maritime authorities of South Pacific nations are on alert, as cases of illegal use of their national flags by ships of the shadow fleet are multiplying. Vanuatu became the third country in the region, within a month, to report a false flag operation, highlighting the systematic effort of international networks to exploit small island states to cover illegal activities.
Vanuatu’s ship registry immediately identified and deactivated a website, which had copied the content and trademark of the official authority with the aim of issuing fake documents. The country’s government, through the Office of the Prime Minister and the Attorney General, initiated legal procedures to locate the culprits.
A similar stance was taken by the Kingdom of Tonga, which publicly disowned any ship flying its flag, reminding that its national ship registry has permanently ceased to operate since 2002. Meanwhile, the Cook Islands denounced the actions of the tanker “Bertha”, which continued to illegally use their flag despite its deletion, being involved in crude oil shipments under the U.S. sanctions regime.
According to data from international analysts, at least 29 ships appear falsely registered in the registries of Tonga and the Cook Islands, of which 21 are sanctioned tankers. The coordinated actions of Pacific nations in cooperation with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) underline the need for stricter law enforcement and strengthening of control mechanisms, as the activity of stateless ships constitutes a major threat to maritime safety and the transparency of international trade.
