Security lapses in the region
Are the unregulated Flag Of Convenience (FOC) to blame for security lapses in the region? This is the question many maritime experts are asking. According to seamen in Mombasa, FOC vessels flying Kenyan, Tanzanian and Zanzibar flags had increased tremendously in the regions Indian Ocean territorial waters in the recent past.
An investigation revealed that most of these vessels fish illegally or transport suspicious cargo.
The investigation was conducted after it emerged that a Tanzanian oil tanker, which was attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden a fortnight ago, was sailing under a Panama flag.
It was later discovered that the owners are Cambodian based and its port of registry is Phnom Penh.According to experts, the unregulated FOCs fuel illegal activities such as arms smuggling, money laundering and trafficking in goods and people.
A seafarer who sought anonymity admitted to having worked on one such vessels in August 2008.
It was a Zanzibar flagged ship whose call sign and the IMO number were questionable, but it was allowed to sail in and out of Mombasa port, to Mtwara enroute to Madagascar, he said.
The irony is that Kenyas maritime experts have been pushing for the inclusion of open registry in the new Merchant Shipping Act, in order to encourage shipowners to register their vessels in the country.
The Act, which was signed into law by Kenyas President Mwai Kibaki in June last year, did not encompass the provision.
We expected the law to include open registry and spell out its benefits, so that Kenya could attract vessels to fly our flag. Kenyans who have registered their vessels elsewhere would also return home, said Fredrick Wahutu, of Kenya Ships Agents Association.
Captain Wahutu said the provision has contributed to other maritime countries economy.
In Panama, for instance, fees charged for the registry of vessels accounts for over five per cent of the national budget, and in Liberia, it constitutes one-sixth of the countrys total revenue, he said.
FOCs are legal mechanisms used to attract merchant tonnage from countries with more stringent safety regulations and higher operating costs, to countries offering more flexibility and lower registration fees.
Ship owners register their ships under a foreign flag for various reasons including tax benefits, cheap non-union crew, the ships conditions fail to meet the standards of the owners country, political reasons or to facilitate illegal activities.
Transport maritime experts say many of these ships swap flags and names making it difficult to trace them.
Unregulated FOC vessels dominate the list of sub-standard shipping, poor performance on safety, maltreatment of crew, pollution of marine environment and illegal and unregulated fishing in high seas, said a recent presentation by Mathew Giani (an independent advisor and advocate for ocean conservation based in the Netherlands) titled, Flag state failure and maritime security and safety, real and present danger, at the International Transport Federations forum.
Seafarers say those vessels plying the region under FOC are not only stealing from the regions economy but are also responsible for destabilising its peace.
According to East Africa Seafarers assistant programme co-ordinator, Andrew Mwangura, the region is a hub for such vessels due to insufficient surveillance.
For instance, currently a ship operating in Djibouti is flying a strange Zanzibar flag. Two strange Mogadishu flagged cargo ships are also sailing under suspicious flags, said Mr Mwangura.
These two cargo ships are owned and managed by Somali business men.
Their call sign, Port of Registry and the IMO numbers are wanting.
Source:The East African
