- IMO lists 20 Gambia-flagged ships as falsely registered.
- Western pressure grows on weak maritime registries.
- Dark fleet exploits Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Comoros flags.
Gambia’s maritime administration has started to take action by removing most of the Russia-linked tankers that had entered its privately managed ship registry. This move signals a growing commitment to tackle issues of weak governance and fraudulent registrations, reports Windward.
IMO Flags 20 Vessels as False Registrations
The International Maritime Organisation has now identified 20 tankers as falsely registered under Gambia’s flag after the administration confirmed they weren’t legally registered.
Fraud-Based Deflagging Expands
Reports indicate that Gambia has already deflagged 72 ships due to fraudulent certificates. However, IMO records still show 104 vessels flying Gambia’s flag, with nearly 40 of them linked to the dark fleet.
Pressure Mounts from the US and Europe
This crackdown comes in response to increasing diplomatic pressure from the United States and the European Union, urging action against the risks posed by dark-fleet tankers that use lenient flags to dodge sanctions and regulations.
Gambia’s Registry Expanded Rapidly
After outsourcing its registry to a contractor based in Cyprus in mid-2023, Gambia’s flagged fleet skyrocketed by over 1,000% in just a year, jumping from fewer than 40 domestic vessels to more than 110 ships. Most of these were sanctioned tankers seeking more lenient oversight.
Comoros Takes Similar Action
This crackdown is similar to actions taken by Comoros, which removed over 60 falsely flagged tankers earlier this year after uncovering evidence of dark-fleet involvement.
Weak Governance Dominates Baltic Traffic
Tankers flying the flags of Gambia and Sierra Leone, both managed by the same Cyprus contractor, accounted for 40% of tanker calls at Russia’s Baltic ports from October 1 to November 10. An additional 19% were falsely flagged ships, meaning that more than two-thirds of tanker traffic was operating under minimal oversight.
Flag-Hopping Surges to New Levels
Many sanctioned tankers are now cycling through multiple registries, taking advantage of provisional registration systems. Some ships flagged under Gambia have switched flags as many as five times within just six months.
International Push Against Risky Registries
In the past 18 months, Western governments have been putting pressure on flag states to kick out ships that are under sanctions. The EU and the UK have also imposed sanctions on Intershipping Services, which operates under Gabon’s flag, while Panama has tightened its regulations in 2023 to ensure that all vessels sanctioned by the West are removed.
Nordic States Step Up Verification
Countries in the Nordic and Baltic regions are stepping up their game by reaching out to suspicious tankers via radio to confirm the legitimacy of their flags and insurance details, as part of their expanding intelligence efforts.
Aqua Titan Continues Rapid Flag Cycling
The Aframax tanker Aqua Titan, built in 2006 and sanctioned by both the EU and the UK, switched to the Cameroon flag on November 3. This marks its fifth flag change since February, having previously been removed from the registries of Comoros and Gambia, and was even declared falsely flagged by the IMO.
Dark Fleet Still Outruns Regulators
While Gambia’s recent actions represent a significant step forward, over 550 vessels that are sanctioned and trading with Russia continue to operate under fraudulent registries, allowing the dark fleet to stay one step ahead of global regulatory efforts.
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Source: Windward
