IMO Legal Committee approves first guidelines against fraudulent ship registration

At its 113th session (13 to 17 April), the IMO Legal Committee approved guidelines to help flag States check who may register ships, verify ownership and ship identity, run quality assurance and share information. The committee recorded 529 ships falsely flying a State's flag over the previous year, up since 2025, and nearly 40 member States whose flags had been used by criminal groups without consent. The guidelines are not binding; there is still no binding international regime for ship registration.

This is a summary in our own words of the linked reporting. Allegations are those of the source. How we report.