Guyana is urging Caribbean countries to jointly tackle fraudulent ship registrations, warning that vessels falsely flying national flags are being used to transport guns, sanctioned oil and smuggled people.
Public Utilities and Aviation Minister Deodat Indar raised the concern at the 56th Annual General Meeting, Conference and Exhibition of the Caribbean Shipping Association, according to an October 27 report by the Caribbean Broadcasting Company.
Addressing more than 450 maritime stakeholders, policymakers and industry representatives, Indar said Guyana has been affected by operators falsely claiming that their vessels are registered here.
“It is a curse on the shipping industry. It is a black stain on maritime authorities,” the minister said.
Indar explained that criminal operators issue fake registration documents, allowing ships to sail under the flags of countries with which they have no legitimate registration. He said the consequences extend to shipping companies, insurers and national maritime authorities.
“When your ship flag is used for nefarious activities, moving things, guns, sanctioned oil, sanctioned products, people smuggling, those are not things that any nation would like to have (associated with) their name or their flag,” he said.
The minister, who said he and Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) Director General Stephen Thomas had encountered the problem firsthand, maintained that coordinated action was necessary.
“If we don’t work together, (we) simply can’t stamp it out,” Indar told the conference.
To illustrate the extent of the fraud, he cited an operator who registered vessels under a fictitious flag state associated with a small, uninhabited island in the South Pacific.
Guyana maintains a closed ship registry, restricting registration to vessels owned by Guyanese nationals, residents, CARICOM citizens and companies established under Guyanese law.
MARAD has identified vessels falsely claiming Guyanese registration since 2021 and shares information on these cases with maritime states and international bodies.
CBC’s report cited the April 2026 seizure of the Majestic X by US forces in the Indian Ocean. The vessel, which was carrying Iranian oil, was fraudulently flying Guyana’s flag and had previously been sanctioned in 2024 under the name PHONIX.
The shipping conference is being held under the theme “Building a More Connected, Resilient and Competitive Caribbean.”
