When the Prestige broke in two off the coast of Galicia and caused catastrophic pollution, political leaders in Europe uttered statements of incredulity that an ageing single-hulled tanker had been allowed to carry thousands of gallons of oil in European waters.

A similar frustration is being felt now by governments trying to protect their fish stocks from illegal fishing operations, and also by law enforcement and anti-terrorist agencies trying to penetrate the layers of secrecy surrounding international ship ownership and operations. Flags of convenience are a negation of any kind of effective international order and supervision.

The frustration is genuine, but FOCs are a problem long known to governments. Time and again hands are wrung over the fact that many states fail to enforce international standards. What generally remains unsaid is that this is too often not due to some contagion of incompetence. The reality is that a number of states actively advertise their readiness to ignore international standards. This is a selling point for their flag as a place for foreign ship owners to register their ships in return for registration fees.

Increasingly the disadvantages of such international disorder have been making themselves apparent. Now there are indications that effective enforcement of international regulation in the shipping and fisheries sectors has become a matter of some urgency. The United Nations has shown itself ready to take a leading role in the process. For the first time there is serious talk of addressing some of the failings in international law that have allowed FOCs to proliferate.

In June the ITF formed a broad coalition of interests, linking with environmental organisations such as the Worldwide Fund for Nature, Friends of the Earth International, Greenpeace International and human rights organisations such as Global Witness. This coalition took to the UN a joint statement calling for governments to seize the opportunity to opt for real international governance of the oceans and seas. No government should fail to understand that the future of sustainable oceans and seas is at stake.