Taiwan takes action against armada of cable cutters　04/03/25 (Splash247.com)

Sam Chambers

Following reports of cable breakage and to strengthen the safety of Taiwan’s waters and key infrastructure, ships from Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau are now required to go through longer port visit application processes to the island with the paperwork expected to take up to a month per vessel visit. Ships also flying the flags of Cameroon, Tanzania, Mongolia, Togo and Sierra Leone are also required to fill in the extra filings, many of which will be screened by Taiwanese security officials before being passed on to Taiwan’s Maritime and Port Administration.

Like in the Baltic, Taiwan has faced multiple attacks on its subsea infrastructure in recent months, largely from merchant ships dragging their anchors.

The island blacklisted 52 Chinese-owned ships in January while Taiwan’s National Security Bureau has said ships which have previously been found to misreport information will be put on a list of ships for priority inspection at ports.

Moreover, if these ships enter within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan’s coast and are close to where undersea cables are, the coast guard will be dispatched to board them and investigate.

A ship accused at the end of February of damaging cables off Taiwan had a simple way of changing identity.

The Togo-flagged Hongtai 68 was able to change its name many times as the crews simply replaced three steel plates (pictured) at its stern and on its bow whereby it has also recently traded as the Hongtai 58 and Shanmei 7.

The captain of the vessel – dubbed in local media as the ‘thousand faces ship’ – had on an earlier occasion been caught entering Taiwan with false documents.

Taiwan blacklists 52 Chinese-owned ships 01/27/25 (Splash247)

Bojan Lepic

Taiwan has blacklisted 52 Chinese-owned ships that operate under flags of convenience.

The crackdown follows the severing of a subsea communications cable near Taiwan at the beginning of January. Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration identified a Cameroon-registered cargo ship, Shunxin 39 (pictured), as the suspect in the incident.

Taipei will now target vessels flagged under countries like Cameroon, Tanzania, Mongolia, Togo, and Sierra Leone, where it deems ship registration processes often lack stringent safety and regulatory standards.

Of the 52 vessels identified, 15 were deemed threats due to their extended presence in Taiwanese waters over the past year. Among these, one vessel was flagged as a “high threat,” with several others categorised as posing medium or lower levels of risk.

Earlier this month, the Shunxin 39 was ordered to return to waters near the Port of Keelung to be investigated. Due to rough weather, coast guard officers were not able to board the ship for investigation and could not detain it. The ship continued on its way to South Korea.

It was later revealed that the vessel belongs to Hong Kong-based Jie Yang Trading headed by a Chinese citizen.

Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said earlier this month ships which have previously been found to misreport information will be put on a list of ships for priority inspection at ports.

Moreover, if these ships enter within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan’s coast and are close to where undersea cables are, the coast guard will be dispatched to board them and investigate.

Other ships hanging around the Taiwanese coastline have sparked concern. For instance, the Belize-flagged Russian general cargo vessel, Vasily Shukshin, left Russia’s Vostochnyy port on December 8 and loitered off Taiwan’s coast on December 19, according to Ray Powell, director of Stanford University-affiliated maritime analyst group SeaLight.

Powell said the vessel was “aimlessly criss-crossing” the area near Taiwan’s Fangshan undersea cable landing station for three and a half weeks “for no apparent reason,” but that it had since started to return to Russia earlier this week.

According to data provider Windward, the frequency of underwater infrastructure sabotage has increased from just two incidents in 2000 to 75 incidents in 2024 with the seas around Taiwan as well as the Baltic becoming hotspots for ships deliberately dragging anchors to take out critical subsea infrastructure.

Taiwan to ramp up monitoring of ‘flags of convenience’ ships after severed undersea cables 01/15/25 (ASIA NEWS NETWORK)

Yip Wai Yee The Straits Times

This picture taken by Taiwan’s Coast Guard on January 3, 2025 shows the Cameroon-flagged "Shunxing 39" cargo ship sailing at sea. Taiwanese authorities are investigating the Chinese-owned cargo ship suspected of damaging a subsea telecoms cable northeast of the island, Taiwan's coast guard said on January 6, 2025. PHOTO: HANDOUT/TAIWAN COAST GUARD/AFP

The proposal comes after Taipei said that a China-linked cargo vessel, the Shunxing-39, damaged an undersea data cable to the north of the island on Jan 3.

TAIPEI – The recent severing of an undersea cable off Taiwan has underscored how important it is for the island to strengthen its communications resilience, amid concerns that the critical subsea systems connecting it to the rest of the world may become a target of sabotage in a potential conflict.

On Jan 15, Taiwan’s National Security Bureau said that it plans to step up the monitoring of ships flying so-called flags of convenience, referring to vessels that are registered to countries other than their owners’.

If these ships come close to undersea cables and enter within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan’s coast, the coast guard will board them for investigations, the bureau added in its report to lawmakers ahead of ministers taking questions in Parliament on Jan 16.

While such measures will be useful for now, it remains to be seen if they can achieve a strong enough deterrent effect in the longer term, according to Mr Ian Li Huiyuan, a military expert at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

“Such ships do exist for innocent reasons – for example, it could simply be cheaper to register a ship in a certain country,” he told The Straits Times. “So it may tax Taiwan’s ability to manage the situation if they’re having to monitor all flag-of-convenience vessels.”

The proposal comes after Taipei said that a China-linked cargo vessel, the Shunxing-39, damaged an undersea data cable to the north of the island on Jan 3. The ship sailed under the Cameroon flag and was also registered in Tanzania, but it was owned by a Hong Kong company, according to Taiwanese officials. All seven crew members on board were Chinese nationals, said Taiwan’s coast guard.

The incident caused minimal disruption to the island’s web traffic after Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom rerouted data to other cables, and there is no direct evidence that the damage inflicted was deliberate.

However the situation has raised concerns among the Taiwanese authorities of it being a possible act of sabotage.

“It is not possible to confirm the real intention of the vessel. However, we cannot rule out the possibility of a Chinese flag-of-convenience ship engaging in grey-zone harassment,” the Taiwan coast guard said in an earlier statement.

In response, China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said damage to undersea cables is a “common maritime accident” and that Taiwan was making accusations “out of thin air”.

Taipei has, in recent years, complained about Beijing stepping up its grey-zone warfare – the use of irregular tactics to weaken an adversary without resorting to open combat – in its long-term goal to pursue “reunification” with the island, which it claims as its own territory.

For instance, China has sent balloons and drones into Taiwan’s air-defence identification zone, aimed at intimidating the public and undermining the morale of the military.

Taipei’s alarm surrounding the Shunxing-39 came in the wake of a similar case in the Baltic Sea after a Chinese bulk carrier was linked to the severing of two undersea cables in Swedish territorial waters in November 2024.

In February 2023, the 14,000 residents in Taiwan’s outlying Matsu islands were knocked offline for several weeks, when the only two submarine cables connecting them to the main island were severed by passing ships flying Chinese flags.

The fact that the double damage was done in quick succession, with the second cable being severed within days of the other, startled officials.

In the case of the Shunxing-39, marine data tracking services showed that the vessel had sailed short laps in the waters near northern Taiwan since December 2024, which experts say is unusual.

“The ship made multiple ‘figure eights’ in the water, which could be an indication that it was dragging its anchor across the seabed to cut the cable,” said Dr Su Tzu-yun, a military strategy expert from the Institute for National Defence and Security Research, a Taiwanese think-tank.

If the act was indeed intentional, Dr Su said he believed it was designed to create unease among the Taiwanese public.

“If Taiwan’s undersea cables are completely cut off, its connections to the world are cut off,” he added.

International internet traffic is mostly carried through fibre-optic cables on the ocean floor, with Taiwan connected to the world through 14 such cables.

The cable that was most recently damaged is part of the Trans-Pacific Express Cable System, a nearly 18,000km-long system that connects Taiwan to the US, among other countries.

Damage to undersea communications infrastructure is not rare. According to the UK-headquartered International Cable Protection Committee, there are 150 to 200 cable faults globally every year, mostly caused by fishing and trawling, as well as natural hazards.

However experts are increasingly worried that the vulnerability of these critical systems – which could take weeks to repair if damaged and is a costly affair – could be taken advantage of amid heightened geopolitical tensions.

That is not a new idea. During World War I, the British cut German submarine telegraph cables to force the Germans to communicate on radio where it could be intercepted more easily.

Professor Geoffrey Till, an emeritus professor of maritime studies at King’s College London, said that the latest cable-cutting incident near Taiwan could be part of Beijing’s preparations for war.

“By cutting the cables, China can potentially test the vulnerabilities in Taiwan’s undersea cables, see the extent of network disruption and how long it takes for Taiwan to remedy the damage,” he told The Straits Times.

“As with all grey-zone tactics, it is not immediately clear that the state had instructed the commercial ship owner to cut the cables,” he added, which makes it difficult for affected parties to seek recourse.

Besides its plans to step up surveillance of passing ships, Taiwan has taken a leaf out of Ukraine’s handbook by setting up a backup satellite internet network for emergencies, which has proved to be crucial in keeping locals online amid Russia’s invasion.

So far, Taipei has placed 700 satellite receivers across the island, some of which have already proved useful after a 7.4-magnitude earthquake damaged telecommunications base stations in April 2024.

At the same time, Taiwan has embarked on an ambitious NT$4 billion (S$165 million) project to develop its own satellites to ensure backup connectivity during emergencies, with the first of two indigenous satellites to be launched into space in 2026.

But such satellite networks will not replace subsea cables anytime soon, given that the fibre-optic cables deliver much faster internet speeds, can carry higher traffic loads and are more cost-effective.

“If submarine cables are sabotaged, Taiwan would only be able to rely on bandwidth provided by satellites, which would affect our digital economy, international trade and banking,” said Dr Su, the defence expert.

“Taiwan needs to invest more resources in protecting the undersea cables.”

After cable damage, Taiwan to step up surveillance of flag of convenience ships 01/15/25 (Reuters)

By Yimou Lee and Ben Blanchard

TAIPEI, Jan 15 (Reuters) - Taiwan will step up the surveillance and management of ships carrying flags of convenience, including boarding them, after a Chinese-linked cargo vessel was suspected of damaging an undersea communications cable, the government said. Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, said a ship owned by a Hong Kong company but registered both in Cameroon and Tanzania, damaged a cable to the north of the island earlier this month, although it says it has not been able to verify the ship's intentions and was unable to board it due to bad weather.

The ship's owner has denied involvement, and China's government has said Taiwan was making up accusations before the facts were clear. The incident has particularly alarmed Taiwan given it has repeatedly complained about "grey zone" Chinese activities around the island, designed to pressure it without direct confrontation, such as balloon overflights and sand dredging. In a report to lawmakers ahead of ministers taking questions in parliament on Thursday, Taiwan's National Security Bureau said it plans to step up surveillance and management of ships carrying so-called flags of convenience, referring to those registered to other countries than their actual owner.

Such ships which have previously been found to misreport information about them will be put on a list of ships for priority inspection at ports, it said. If these ships enter within 24 nautical miles of Taiwan's coast and are close to where undersea cables are, the coast guard will be dispatched to board them and investigate, the bureau added. Taiwan will also promote greater international cooperation with the United States and Europe over suspected damage to undersea cables, it said.

"The bureau will continue to exchange intelligence with like-minded countries, collect threat alert information, analyse developing trends in sabotage techniques and false covers, and share prevention and response experience." It did not give details. Taiwan's coast guard, in its report to lawmakers, said its priority was to get access to the ship in question as part of its investigation and that areas where cable are located, and their landing points on shore, are key monitoring locations.

Taiwan to Chinese Ship Suspected of Cable Sabotage May Have Had Two AIS Devices 01/07/25 (The Maritime Executive)

Yip Wai Yee The Straits Times

Xing Shun 39 off Taiwan (CGA)

The Chinese-owned ship suspected of damaging a subsea cable off the north coast of Taiwan appears to have been using two different AIS transponders at the same time, according to Taiwan's coast guard.

The incident began Friday at about 1240 hours, when Chungwha Telecom notified Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) that a subsea communications cable had been severed just off the coast of Keelung. The cable was a component of the Trans-Pacific Express, a high-speed fiber optic cable linking China, Taiwan, Korea, Japan and the United States.

At about 1700 hours, a CGA patrol boat intercepted the Hong Kong-owned freighter Xing Shun 39 (IMO 8358427) at a position near the cable break. The coast guard crew was unable to board the freighter because of rough surface conditions, and instead of heading for a Taiwanese port, the Xing Shun 39 got under way for Busan, South Korea. It departed Taiwanese jurisdiction later that day.

After the incident, the CGA identified the vessel as the Shunxing-39, a ship that does not exist in IMO records. The authorities now believe that the freighter was using two different AIS devices and two different identities: its legitimate name, Xing Shun 39, and a closely-matched fake name, Shunxing-39. By switching back and forth, the ship created an interrupted AIS record.

William Conroy, an analyst with Semaphore Maritime Solutions, told the New York Times that the ship appeared to switch AIS transponders at about the same time that the Taiwan CGA asked it to halt for an inspection. "Shunxing-39" disappeared from AIS tracking at 1651 hours Friday, and Xing Shun 39 appeared one minute later at a position about 50 feet away.

Though the freighter is now out of reach of Taiwanese authorities, they have asked officials in the port of Busan to help in obtaining evidence from the vessel if it arrives in Korea. The case will be forwarded to the prosecutor's office in Keelung for possible criminal or civil actions against the freighter.

In the meantime, the CGA is launching a comprehensive review of its procedure for responding to potential cable sabotage incidents involving ships, and it is coordinating with other security agencies, officials told state news outlet CNA.

Another country added to UAE’s banned ships list
Ships flying the Cameroon flag have been added to a list of banned vessels by the UAE　01/10/24 (Gulf Business)

by Gareth van Zyl

Ships flying the Cameroon flag have been barred from entering UAE waters following an official circular released by officials at the start of this month.

The African nation has now joined Albania, Belize, North Korea, Sao Tome and Principe, Tonga, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Tanzania in facing similar restrictions.

In a circular dated 2 January, 2024; the UAE’s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure informed all ports authorities, harbor masters, ship-owners, managers, operators, ship agents and classification societies about the ban. A similar notice also appeared on the Port of Fujairah website.

“Within the framework of the UAE Federal Maritime Administration (FMA) represented by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, responsible for regulating the foreign ships operations in the UAE waters and ports, this administration has decided to include the vessels registered under the flag state of ‘Republic of Cameroon’ to the existing list of restricted flag State vessels calling UAE waters and ports, unless they are classified by a member of IACS (International Association of Classification Societies) Class or by the Emirates Classification Society – Tasneef,” said the ministry.

“Accordingly, all the maritime companies and ship agents in UAE are hereby requested not to provide the services to those vessels that are not complying with this circular to avoid legal accountability,” the ministry added.

Growing global crackdown While a full explanation from the UAE has not been provided, there is an increasing global crackdown on shadow tankers operating outside the regulatory framework of shipping industries across the globe.

According to The Maritime Executive, Cameroon, in particular, has developed a reputation in recent years for having a shadow fleet.

“Cameroon has received attention as a haven for the shadow fleet as the operations of these vessels grew in response to the bans by the West on Russian oil exports. Historically vessels registered in Cameroon have been linked to other oil smuggling operations notably including Iran and Venezuela,” reported The Maritime Executive.

UAE bans Cameroon-flagged ships: Is this a clampdown on illegal activities of Russia’s ghost fleet?　01/10/24 (Offshore Energy)

by Naida Hakirevic Prevljak The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned vessels flying the flag of the Republic of Cameroon from calling UAE waters and ports.

On Januaury 2, 2024, the UAE Federal Maritime Administration (FMA), represented by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, published a new circular.

In the circular, the FMA said it decided to include the vessels registered under the flag state of Cameroon to the existing list of restricted flag state vessels.

As informed, the Cameroon-flagged ships have no longer access to UAE ports and waters unless they are classed by a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) or by the Emirates Classification Society – Tasneef.

“Accordingly, all the maritime companies and ship agents in UAE are hereby requested not to provide the services to those vessels that are not complying with this circular to avoid legal accountability,” the FMA noted.

Apart from Cameroon, the concerned flag states countries list includes Albania, Belize, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Sao Tome and Principe, Tonga, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and the United Republic of Tanzania.

The administration, which is responsible for regulating foreign ships’ operations in the UAE waters and ports, has not provided further information explaining the reason behind this decision. However, reports indicate that the ban may be linked to Cameroon’s reputation as a ‘heaven’ for Russia’s so-called ghost fleet.

There is a growing number of law-abiding ships in the world which have no insurance protection. Having no insurance becomes a problem when accidents involving these ghost ships occur, especially for countries controlling the waters where accidents take place.

Therefore, the UAE’s recent move can be seen as an attempt to distance itself from unfortunate and risky situations involving ghost ships.

Since the introduction of the G7 oil price cap for Russia’s crude oil and refined products there have been speculations on Russia’s so-called shadow fleet being used to evade sanctions. Last year, S&P Global Market Intelligence whitepaper estimated that 443 tanker vessels (with a deadweight greater than 10,000) are currently operating within the Russian shadow or ghost fleet. Cameroon is among the flag states linked to vessels’ illegal activities, according to the report.

It is worth noting that the Paris MOU has identified Cameroon as a flag state with a ‘very high risk’, placing it on its Black List of ships. Vessels Haksa, Skymoon King, Gelibolu 2, Sefora, Sheksna, Bella are currently banned from the Paris Mou region, data provided by the Paris MoU shows.

Ships Flagged in Cameroon Banned by UAE in Shadow Fleet Crackdown　01/09/24 (THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE)

Shadow tanker registered in Cameroon was caught by Indonesia in an illegal STS operation in July 2023 ( Bakamla) The United Arab Emirates quietly joined the efforts to crack down on the growing fleet of so-called shadow tankers operating outside much of the regulatory framework of the shipping industry. Without explanation, they have banned vessels operating under the flag state of the Republic of Cameroon from calling in UAE waters and ports.

The UAE’s Ministry of Energy & Infrastructure released a circular dated January 2, 2024, which surfaced on the Port of Fujairah’s website. It announced an update to the list of flag states whose ships are required to have international classification to enter the UAE.

“This administration has decided to include the vessels registered under the flag state of Cameroon to the existing list of restricted flag state vessels calling in UAE waters and ports, unless they are classified by a member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) or by the Emirates Classification Society – Tasneef,” according to the circular. It goes on to warn that “maritime companies and ship agents in the UAE are requested not to provide the services to those vessels that are not complying with this circular to avoid legal accountability.”

Cameroon becomes the ninth national flag state listed by the Ministry. Others include similarly notorious havens for the dark fleet and vessels attempting to avoid the classification, safety, and insurance regimes of the shipping industry. Other flags listed by the UAE include Tanzania, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Tonga, and Sao Tome and Principe.

Cameroon has received attention as a haven for the shadow fleet as the operations of these vessels grew in response to the bans by the West on Russian oil exports. Historically vessels registered in Cameroon have been linked to other oil smuggling operations notably including Iran and Venezuela.

Last July, Indonesia for example reported its forces had come upon two tankers illegally anchored during a ship-to-ship oil transfer. One of the vessels was an Iranian tanker that was operating dark, i.e. with its AIS signal turned off, while the other vessel in the transfer was identifying itself as registered in Cameroon. It however was using the identity of a vessel that had been scrapped five years earlier.

A Suezmax tanker named Liberty flagged in Cameroon went aground in December 2023 near Singapore in the Strait of Malacca. The ship which was 23 years old illustrated the properties of the shadow fleet and a review of records showed it had come from a Russian oil port.

Data collected by Bloomberg found that of 14 Cameroon-flagged tankers, 11 of them could be traced to Russian oil ports in the past year.

The Paris MoU, one of the administration agencies for flag states, currently reflects six vessels registered in Cameroon as having received detention notices and are currently banned from the Paris MoU region, with two of the notices issued in September 2023. The Paris MoU lists Cameroon as only one of nine nations on its “Black List” with the highest excess factor and the only country currently ranked as “Very High Risk.”

Typhoon Gaemi wreaks havoc at sea; cargo ship captain confirmed dead　07/26/24 (FOCUS TAIWAN)

Cameroon-registered cargo ships "DOLPHIN" is located 0.2 nautical miles from a beach in Tainan Friday. Photo courtesy of Ocean Affairs Council July 26, 2024

Kaohsiung, July 26 (CNA) Typhoon Gaemi has caused nine maritime incidents as of Friday, including a sinking in which the captain of a cargo ship died.

The Cabinet-level Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) said in a statement that four rescued crew members from the "FU SHUN" had identified a body pulled from the water as the Tanzanian-flagged vessel's captain.

Four crew from the cargo ship, which is believed to have sunk 16 nautical miles off Kaohsiung, are still missing, according to the OAC.

Meanwhile, the cargo ships "DOPPHIN" and "KETA" ran aground on the southern and southwestern shores of Zengwen River in southern Taiwan late Thursday, while the "HONG SHENG 88" ran aground 0.1 nautical miles northwest of Singda Harbor in Kaohsiung.

All crew members are safe, and no oil spills have been reported from the three affected ships, the OAC added.

In addition, nine Burmese crew from the "SOPFIA," which ran aground on the Golden Coast in Tainan, were rescued by the coast guard.

The OAC said that rescue operations, suspended due to weather and sea conditions, resumed at 5 a.m. Friday.

Satellite imagery shows no signs of oil pollution. Local governments are ready with response materials, and simulations are underway to manage potential oil spills.

OAC Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) noted on Facebook that Typhoon Gaemi has surpassed the record set by a tropical depression 2018, which saw seven cargo ships and one yacht run aground.

The council will continue coordinating with the Coast Guard and related agencies for ongoing rescue efforts, she said.

(By Chang Yi-lien and Evelyn Yang)

Enditem/ASG

Salvage teams in Indonesia attend to grounded shadow-fleet tanker　12/11/2023 (Insurance Marine News)

Indonesian salvage teams have managed to free suezmax Liberty (IMO 9207027), which grounded in the Singapore Strait west of Batam. The 23-year-old, Cameroon-flagged “shadow fleet” tankship ran aground last Sunday December 3rd. It took until Wednesday to get the suezmax free. According to TankerTrackers.com the ship is carrying nearly 1m barrels of Venezuelan fuel oil.

Five tugboats were needed to move the ship from its grounded position. It appears still to be in the area, motionless, indicating presumably that it is being checked for any hull damage.

The increasing number of elderly tankers continuing to ply their trade, while not being insured by the major marine liability or hull markets, is causing a significant degree of concern with the littoral states of seaways carrying a large number of tankers.

Before 2019, tankers over 20 years of age that were still operating made up just 1% of the global tanker fleet. This rose to 3% by early 2022, but since the beginning of the Russian war with Ukraine in February 2022, the percentage is on track to constitute 11% of the global fleet by 2025, according to data from brokers Braemar.

An Indonesian Navy spokesman said that an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident was underway. TankerTrackers data, confirmed by Kpler, showed that the ship was carrying a cargo of oil from Venezuela. Both firms said that as recently as October the Liberty was pretending to be off the coast of West Africa when in fact it was collecting oil from Venezuela. “Spoofing” a false AIS is also a matter of concern for the international shipping community and states with a vulnerability to environmental disasters.

Singapore is next to a transfer hub near Malaysia. Its role as a key transit point before heading to buyers in east Asia makes it particularly exposed to the risks from shadow fleet ships. However, other areas, such as those where ship-to-ship transfers occur, are also seen as a serious danger to the environmental health of the oceans.

The International Maritime Organization only last week branded the situation a matter of “grave concern”.

The Cameroon flag is the only one designated as “very high risk” on a black list published by the Paris Memorandum on Port State Control, which oversees ship inspections and promotes safety. A firm called Skyward Management Corp., with an address in Kazakhstan, is listed as its technical manager.

When the vessel was inspected in Singapore in 2017 and 2019 it was deemed high risk and had a handful of deficiencies. It was then sold to new owners. Subsequent inspections in Malaysia and Indonesia did not identify any issues.

The tanker receives classification services from a firm called Mediterranean Shipping Register.

2000-built, Cameroon-flagged, 83,724 gt Liberty is listed by Equasis as owned by Vythos ventures Co of Majuro, Marshall Islands. ISM manager is Skyward Shipmanagement Corp of Almaty, Kazakhstan. As of December 9th it was listed as stopped near its grounding location, having left Primorsk, Russia, on July 1st.

M/V “HAKSA” refused access to the Paris MoU 09/18/23 (SAFETY4SEA)

According to Paris MoU, M/V “HAKSA” detained in port Venice (Italy) on 25 August 2023 and left the port without complying with the conditions determined by the port State authority.

In particular, the ship’s Master did not comply with the conditions for a safe voyage to the designated repair port, by sailing:

- beyond the limit of 20 miles from the nearest coast, and

- in bad weather conditions (wind and sea state higher than the allowed limit - sea 2/wind 3).

The ship flies the flag of Republic of Cameroon, which is black on the current Paris MoU WGB list.

In accordance with section 4.2 of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on Port state Control, Article 21.4 of Eu Council Directive 2009/16/EC1 and article 24.1 of national Decree March 24th, 2011 No.53, the above named vessel will be refused access to any port and anchorages in the Paris MoU region, except a port and anchorage of the ship’s flag State.

M/V “GELIBOLU 2” vessel refused access to the Paris MoU 09/15/23 (SAFETY4SEA)

According to Paris MoU, M/V “GELIBOLU 2” vessel was detained in Constanta (Romania) on 28 August 2023. This is the third detention in the Paris MoU within the last 36 months.

As explained, the ship flies the flag of Republic of Cameroon, which is black on the current Paris MoU WGB list.

Therefore under the provisions of section 4 of the Paris MoU, Article 16 of EU Council Directive 2009/16/EC, the ship will be refused further access to any port and anchorage in the Paris MOU region, except a port and anchorage of the ship’s flag State. This refusal of access will become applicable immediately after the ship is authorized to leave this port and anchorage.

As this is the second refusal of access order, the period of the refusal of access will be 12 months.

According to Paris MoU, people’s attention is drawn to the provisions of Section 4.4 of the Paris MOU, Article 21.6 of EU Council Directive 2009/16/EC1, which allow access to a specific port and anchorage in the event of force majeure or overriding safety considerations, or to reduce or minimize the risk of pollution or to have deficiencies rectified, provided that adequate measures to the satisfaction of the competent authority of such State have been implemented by the company or the master of the ship to ensure safe entry.

M/V “SKYMOON KING” vessel refused access to the Paris MoU 09/15/23 (SAFETY4SEA)

According to Paris MoU, M/V “SKYMOON KING” detained in Kalymnos (Greece) on 2 September 2023. This is the third detention in the Paris MoU within the last 36 months.

As explained, the ship flies the flag of Republic of Cameroon, which is black on the current Paris MoU WGB list.

Therefore under the provisions of section 4 of the Paris MoU, Article 16 of EU Council Directive 2009/16/EC, the ship will be refused further access to any port and anchorage in the Paris MOU region, except a port and anchorage of the ship’s flag State. This refusal of access will become applicable immediately after the ship is authorized to leave this port and anchorage.

As this is the first refusal of access order, the period of the refusal of access will be 3 months.

Paris MoU, people’s attention is drawn to the provisions of Section 4.4 of the Paris MOU, Article 21.6 of EU Council Directive 2009/16/EC1, which allow access to a specific port and anchorage in the event of force majeure or overriding safety considerations, or to reduce or minimize the risk of pollution or to have deficiencies rectified, provided that adequate measures to the satisfaction of the competent authority of such State have been implemented by the company or the master of the ship to ensure safe entry.

Cameroon becomes a go-to country for foreign fishing vessels 07/27/22 (AP News)

DOUALA, Cameroon (AP) — Off the coast of West Africa, the Trondheim is a familiar sight: a soccer field-sized ship, plying the waters from Nigeria to Mauritania as it pulls in tons of mackerel and sardines — and flying the red, yellow and green flag of Cameroon.

But aside from the flag, there is almost nothing about the Trondheim that is Cameroonian.

Once, it operated under the name of the King Fisher and sailed under the flag of the Caribbean nation St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Then it switched to Georgia, the former Soviet republic. It was only in 2019 that it began flying the banner of Cameroon.

The Trondheim is one of several vessels reflagged under Cameroon’s growing fishing fleet that have changed names and been accused of illicit activities at sea. Currently, an investigation by The Associated Press found, 14 of these vessels are owned or managed by companies based in European Union member states: Belgium, Malta, Latvia and Cyprus.

インドネシア、イラン船籍のタンカー拿捕　違法な原油積み替え疑い　07/11/23（Reuters）

７月１１日　インドネシア海上保安機構（ＢＡＫＡＭＬＡ）は１１日、原油の違法な積み替えに関与した疑いがあるイラン船籍の超大型タンカーを拿捕したと発表し、海上警備を強化する方針を示した。写真はイラン船籍のＭＴ Ａｒｍａｎ １１４とカメルーン船籍のＭＴ Ｓ Ｔｉｎｏｓで、ＢＡＫＡＭＬＡが１１日に公開（２０２３年　ロイター） [ジャカルタ １１日 ロイター] - インドネシア海上保安機構（ＢＡＫＡＭＬＡ）は１１日、原油の違法な積み替えに関与した疑いがあるイラン船籍の超大型タンカーを拿捕したと発表し、海上警備を強化する方針を示した。
このタンカー（ＶＬＣＣ）は「ＭＴ Ａｒｍａｎ １１４」で、４兆６０００億ルピア（３億０４００万ドル）相当の軽質原油２７万２５６９トンを積載していたという。
ＢＡＫＡＭＬＡのアアン・クルニア長官は、インドネシアの北ナトゥナ海付近で７日にカメルーン船籍の「ＭＴ Ｓ Ｔｉｎｏｓ」と原油の積み替えを行っているところが確認され、拿捕したと記者団に説明。
２隻とも逃げようとしたため、当局はＭＴ Ａｒｍａｎの追跡に集中し、同タンカーがマレーシア海域に入ったことからマレーシア当局の支援を受けたと述べた。 同タンカーは自動識別装置（ＡＩＳ）を操作して位置情報を偽るなど、他の海事規制に違反した疑いもあるという。

パナマ・ビューロー:現在はマーシャル諸島の登録とIsthmus Bureau of Shippingの 仕事をやっているようだ。
確認は書類でのみ確認：
船籍国と船級協会 合田　浩之　(一般財団法人 山縣記念財団）
掃除をしていてThe Asahi Shinbun Globe January 15 - February4, 2012を見つけ、「日本海運支える『愛媛船主』生き残りかけた正念場に」を読んだ。

★ベリーズ籍船 以前はかなり悪くなったが、カンボジア籍船にかなりひどい サブスタンダード船が移り改善していた。しかし、カンボジア籍船がマーケットから隠れ蓑として消えたので、サブスタンダード船の 隠れ蓑としてランクアップ中。

★カンボジア籍船 ：以前はホンジュラスやベリーズが有名でした。現在は、質の悪い船／登録されている隻数 では世界で一番だと思います。

★モンゴル籍船 ：カンボジアの後に出来ました。以前、カンボジア船を登録した会社が登録業をしている。

★ツバル籍船 ：日本で問題と見られている国籍では、一番新しい。以前、カンボジア船を登録した会社が 登録業をしている。

★グルジア籍船 ：日本で出港停止命令を受けた船舶が増えた。ツバル籍船の次になるのか。
連絡先の情報については、 AMSA（オーストラリア）のＨＰを参考にしてください。

★シエラレオネ籍船: 北九州で大量の麻薬が見つかり、船主は行方不明になり船が放置された事件に認知度がアップ。また、東京・伊豆大島沖で2013年9月、丸仲海運が所有する貨物船「第１８栄福丸」が中国企業所有のシエラレオネ籍船貨物船「ＪＩＡ　ＨＵＩ」と衝突し、栄福丸の乗組員六人が死亡した事故でさらに注目を集める。

★トーゴ籍船：日本ではまだ少ない。

★パラオ籍船：日本でも見られるようになった。