Flags of Convenience: A Cloak for Illicit Maritime Activity (Part I and II )

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Category: Marina Mercante
Published on Saturday, 27 December 2025 00:19
Written by Administrator2
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November 18, 2025

By Tanya Tono

The Dark Side of Open Registries

In the global shipping industry, “flags of convenience” (FoC) refer to the practice of registering a vessel in a country other than where its owners are based. These open registries often feature lax oversight, lower fees, and looser regulations, attracting shipowners seeking to reduce costs or conceal their activities. Unfortunately, FoCs have also become a cloak for illicit maritime activity, enabling everything from drug smuggling and money laundering to illegal fishing and sanctions evasion.

Cocaine in the Cargo: Smugglers Set Sail

Recent cases illustrate how FoC-flagged ships serve as conduits for narcotics trafficking. In late 2022, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers in Puerto Rico made a stunning discovery: 877 pounds of cocaine were

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La justicia obliga por primera vez en Baleares a pagar las horas de ferry a un camionero

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Category: Marina Mercante
Published on Friday, 26 December 2025 23:27
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Diario de Mallorca

El Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Baleares considera que el tiempo del chófer en el barco cuenta como trabajado y abre la puerta a reclamaciones similares

 

Imagen de archivo de un camión a su llegada al puerto de Palma a primera hora de la mañana. / BERNARDO ARZAYUS

Irene R. Aguado

Palma26 DIC 2025 6:01

La Sala de lo Social del Tribunal Superior de Justicia de Balears (TSJIB) ha condenado por primera vez en las islas a una empresa de transporte a pagar las horas que un camionero pasa dentro del ferry acompañando a su vehículo. El fallo reconoce que ese tiempo no puede considerarse descanso, sino horas de presencia, y obliga a la empresa a abonar 3.720 euros más intereses a un camionero por los trayectos marítimos realizados durante su relación

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U.S. Seizes Second Venezuela-Linked Tanker and "Pursues" a Third US helicopter above crude oil tankerUS forces have boarded a Panama-flagged crude oil tanker in the Caribbean (Homeland Security video) Published Dec 20, 2025 7:10 PM by The Maritime Executi

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Published on Friday, 26 December 2025 09:35
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U.S. Seizes Second Venezuela-Linked Tanker and "Pursues" a Third

 

US forces have boarded a Panama-flagged crude oil tanker in the Caribbean (Homeland Security video)

Published Dec 20, 2025 7:10 PM by The Maritime Executive

[Updated] The Trump administration has seized a second Venezuela-linked tanker and launched a "pursuit" targeting a third, according to multiple reports. 

Beginning late Saturday, the U.S. began chasing a third tanker linked to Venezuela's oil exports - the Bella 1, a sanctioned tanker with a past in the Iranian oil trade. Bella 1 was in ballast and approaching Venezuela, and it was the first ship that the U.S. targeted before loading cargo. 

According to TankerTrackers.com, the Bella 1 had an extensive history in two out of the three major "shadow fleet" trade lanes. Over

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La persecución del petrolero Bella 1 acabará con un abordaje 'por la fuerza'

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Published on Friday, 26 December 2025 22:57
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https://diariodecuba.com/internacional/1766777080_64538.html

Funcionarios de EEUU aseguran que, tras más de cinco días de persecución del barco sancionado, una fuerza élite se encargará de tomarlo.

DDC

Washington 26 Dic 2025 - 20:24 CET

El barco petroquímico Bella 1. 

Arjan Elmendorp MarineTraffic

Funcionarios de EEUU aseguraron que, tras más de cinco días de persecución del petrolero Bella 1, interceptado por sus fuerzas militares el pasado domingo cuando se aproximaba a Venezuela, la Guardia Costera y el Ejército de Estados Unidos están reuniendo más personal y armamento para abordarlo por la fuerza.

En declaraciones al diario The Wall Street Journal, funcionarios de la Administración que no fueron identificados señalaron que entre las unidades que se están desplegando en la zona hay un Equipo de Respuesta Especial Marítima y una fuerza de élite entrenada para abordar buques hostiles.

El

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Two CMA CGM vessels navigate the Suez Canal in sign of easing tension

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Published on Wednesday, 24 December 2025 05:18
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By Reuters

December 23, 20253:01 PM GMT+1Updated 15 hours ago
Item 1 of 2 A fisherman travels on a boat in front of a CMA CGM container ship passing through the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt July 7, 2021. Picture taken July 7, 2021. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
[1/2]A fisherman travels on a boat in front of a CMA CGM container ship passing through the Suez Canal in Ismailia, Egypt July 7, 2021. Picture taken July 7, 2021. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
CAIRO, Dec 23 (Reuters) - Two vessels from CMA CGM, the world's third-largest container shipping line, have travelled through the Suez Canal, the authority that runs the waterway said on Tuesday, in a sign the disruptions linked to the Gaza war could be easing.
While the Suez

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