ITF adds three new flags to long-standing open registry list
Dominica, The Gambia and Niue are the latest flags added to the International Transport Workers’ Federation’s (ITF) long-standing ‘Flags of Convenience’ list.
The three flags were added to the FOC list at a meeting of the ITF’s Fair Practices Committee – bringing together seafarers' and dockers’ unions from around the world – in Athens, Greece, last week.
The additions bring the total number of FOC flags to 48 countries.
“We’ve been monitoring ships sailing under these three flags this year, and after carrying out the necessary due diligence we can confirm their designation as new Flags of Convenience,” said Steve Trowsdale, ITF Inspectorate Coordinator.
“If you are a flag state and you take registration fees, then you have an obligation to ensure the rights of seafarers on vessels under your flag are respected – let there be no doubt that the ITF is watching and that our global network of inspectors will do everything in their power to protect the seafarers on these vessels.”
The ITF defines an FOC ship as one flying the flag of a country other than its actual ownership.
The Gambia: from having zero tankers in 2023 to more than 35 by early this year, the registry is strongly associated with the ‘dark fleet’. Research showed that 99% of its tankers were under sanctions or believed to be carrying sanctioned commodities, although Gambia now claims to be vetting the registry.
Niue: the registry opened in 2012, but as of this year ITF data shows that where ownership of its 59 vessels can be confirmed it is spread across Asian states including Singapore (16), Malaysia (2), Japan (2), Indonesia (7), India (1), Hong Kong (1) and Thailand (1), in addition to the Netherlands (1).
Dominica: of the registry’s 43 ships, 30 ships have ownership in the UAE (7), India (7), Kazakhstan (3), Saudi Arabia (2), USA (2), Barbados (2) and Norway (2), in addition to Australia (1), Cyprus (1), Finland (1), Great Britain (1) and Guinea-Conakry (1).
The ITF's maritime unions have developed a set of policies that seek to establish minimum acceptable standards for seafarers working on FOC vessels, which account for around 30% of the more than 100,000 merchant vessels operating worldwide.
These standards form the basis of the ITF’s CBAs, which set the wages and working conditions for crews on FOC vessels irrespective of nationality – just over 47% of all FOC vessels are covered by ITF collective bargaining agreements. Compliance with ITF agreements is monitored by a network of 130 ITF inspectors and contacts in more than 125 ports throughout the world.
The ITF Fair Practices Committee governs the ITF’s FOC campaign – first launched in Oslo in 1948 – including the addition and removal of flag states from the FOC list.
ENDS
Notes to Editors
- Find out more about the ITF’s FOC campaign here.
About the ITF: The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is a democratic, affiliate-led federation recognised as the world’s leading transport authority. We fight passionately to improve workers’ lives, connecting more than 730 affiliated trade unions from over 150 countries to secure rights, equality and justice for workers globally. We are the voice for more than 16.5 million transport workers across the world.
Media contact: Mark Dearn +44 7738 832 413 media@itf.org.uk
