The International Maritime Organization has taken steps to address a regulatory loophole that allowed for an increase in false flagging within the shipping sector. This information was reported by The Maritime Executive on April 26, 2026.

Read also: IMO Chief Condemns Strait of Hormuz Attacks and Ship Seizures

In recent years, there has been a notable rise in vessels operating under false flags, particularly among tankers linked to Russia’s shadow fleet. These shadow fleet vessels have exploited various regulatory gaps to evade sanctions on Russian crude oil, with the falsification of flag registry status emerging as a recently adopted tactic.

According to the IMO, from April 2025 to April 2026, 529 ships were recorded as falsely flying a nation’s flag. During that same period, nearly 40 member states discovered that their flags had been used fraudulently without their knowledge or consent.

To counter this growing issue and streamline ship registration, the IMO’s Legal Committee has approved a new set of guidelines. These measures aim to boost transparency and due diligence, targeting a key regulatory gap, as no binding international framework currently governs ship registration.

The guidelines were approved during the just-concluded 113th session of the committee. They are designed to assist both new and existing flag state ship registries in their registration processes. Specifically, they offer practical measures to strengthen verification and due diligence, ensure accurate ownership records, and improve oversight of registration procedures.

Arsenio Dominguez, IMO Secretary-General, described the move as a welcome step toward ensuring due diligence in ship registration systems. He noted it benefits safety, marine environment protection, and seafarers’ well-being, which are essential for international shipping security. Dominguez added that the guidelines will also help eliminate cases of fraudulent registration.

In November 2025, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported that between January and September 2025, 113 shadow vessels were confirmed to have sailed under a false flag. Their activities enabled the transport of 11 million tonnes of oil, valued at $5.4 billion.

The IMO has indicated that African flags are most frequently associated with false flagging, accounting for over half of all reported cases. Regulatory gaps such as weak oversight, simplified procedures, lower fees, and lighter compliance burdens have contributed to the use of false flags from countries including Malawi, Benin, The Gambia, Comoros, Guinea, and Sierra Leone.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform