“Guyana will not offer a flag of convenience for vessels” – MARAD

…as US Treasury Department sanctions vessels fraudulently using Guyana’s Flag

Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has clarified that the Syrian-owned oil tankers that have been sanctioned by the United States (US) Department of Treasury were fraudulently registered under the Guyana Flag.
This clarification came on the heels of reports that five oil tankers registered under the Guyana Flag, which are linked to a Syrian conglomerate company in Iran and Syria, and also connected to Venezuela, were sanctioned by the US Treasury Department.
But in a statement on Thursday, MARAD indicated that, “These ships are not registered in Guyana; thus, they are false and fraudulent registrations.”
It was explained that Guyana, through MARAD operates a closed registry. Therefore, the registration of vessels under the Guyana flag is limited to ships owned by Guyanese nationals, residents, citizens of Caribbean Community states (CARICOM), and corporate bodies established under the laws of Guyana.
According to MARAD, none of the purported owners of the five oil tankers in question falls into any of these categories.
In fact, MARAD outlined that since 2021, incidences of false Guyana registrations have come to the fore. It said the perpetrators of this fraud have targeted several countries including Guyana, Panama, and regional states. MARAD and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continue to share information on these false registrations, which come into their possession, with all United Nations (UN) member states and relevant regional and international maritime associations.
“The sanctions being applied by the United States of America, the United Kingdom and other Western States are part of the said response to the threats posed by these false registrations,” the MARAD missive detailed.
It went onto state that, “The Government of Guyana makes it pellucid that there is no sinister plot afoot to operate or have a separate ship registry and Guyana does not, has not, and will not offer a flag of convenience for vessels. In this regard, it continues to take steps to protect the sovereignty and integrity of Guyana.”
Back in January 2022, a ‘Guyana-registered vessel’ was intercepted in the West African country of Senegal transporting three containers of ammunition worth more than US$5 million. The motor vessel, named EOLIKA, has been detained in Dakar, Senegal, and the crew arrested after a search by Customs officials there unearthed the weapons.
It was found that Guyana Flag registration was issued by International Maritime Safety Agency of Guyana (IMSAG), which had dubbed itself as a company providing maritime services on behalf of Guyana.
However, the Guyana Government, through MARAD, had subsequently distanced itself from IMSAG. It was explained that there was an undertaking between MARAD and IMSAG but this was immediately brought to a halt after the discovery of the fraudulent representations and illicit conduct of these entities.
It was further noted that the fraudulent issuance of registration under the Guyana Flag is a deliberate criminal design to sully the good image of Guyana, which the Government has worked tirelessly to rebuild and maintain, and will not condone it.
Moreover, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) had been working with Interpol on this matter.
But despite this, however, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) earlier this year flagged two fraudulent shipping registries – one being the IMSAG-administered Guyana registry.
According to reports, the IMO in April 2024 had warned that IMSAG registry continues to operate, issuing fraudulent certificates of registration and authorising recognised organisations, even though the contract was terminated between MARAD and Aryavart Corporation, whose subsidiary is IMSAG.