Caribbean nations called to unite against ‘dark fleets’ threatening shipping integrity

Public Utilities Minister Deodat Indar has warned that the Caribbean’s maritime reputation is at risk from the illicit operations of “dark fleets”- vessels linked to the movement of weapons, sanctioned oil and human smuggling—urging regional nations to unite to stamp out these activities before they further undermine the integrity of their shipping registries.
Meanwhile, Indar highlighted the issue of demurrage, describing it as an additional financial burden on businesses and consumers.
Demurrage is a charge imposed on cargo owners when containers are not collected from port terminals within the allotted free time.
“Then we are faced with demurrage, something that we all detest. Demurrage! We detest it. I repeat, we detest it,” he stated.
He added, “It is an added cost that should not be there. It is a strain on the consumer, on poor families across economies, including ours. We detest it, and we will act on doing something about it.”

“Black stain”
In turning his attention to another issue of concern to maritime administrations, Indar described the dark fleet operations as a “black stain” on the shipping industry.
“I have been and witnessed, and I was accompanied by my Director General, on dark fleet and dark fleet operation. It is a curse on the shipping industry. It is a black stain on maritime authorities. When your ship flag is used for nefarious activities, moving things, guns, sanctioned oil, sanctioned products, people smuggling.”

He asserted that these activities were certainly not something any nation would want to be associated with.
Against this backdrop, Indar called on regional partners to work together to eliminate such practices and protect the integrity of their maritime registries.
“Those are not, you know, things that any nation would like to have their name or their flag or their flag state be associated with. And we must join together and work together as a Caribbean to stamp it out. Ladies and gentlemen, well, we got a little applause there. Thank you.”
Indar also told the gathering that he had witnessed firsthand the damaging effects of dark fleet operations on the shipping industry, including their impact on insurance and the reputation of flag states.
In April 2026, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) said the tanker Majestic X, which United States (US) authorities had seized while transporting Iranian oil, was not registered in Guyana and had been fraudulently flying the Guyana flag. MARAD said Guyana’s closed registry limits registration to eligible Guyanese, CARICOM nationals and qualifying entities, none of which applied to the vessel’s purported owners. The agency said false use of the Guyana flag had been identified since 2021 and that similar cases involving vessels such as the Skipper and Four Plus had been reported. MARAD said it was working with international partners to identify and address unauthorised use of the Guyana flag.