In commemoration of World Maritime Day, the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS) hosted an online seminar titled: Maritime Flags of the Caribbean on 26 September 2024. This was the second session in the series on “Making Sense of Maritime Matters.”

The webinar, which was hosted on the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI)-Connect learning management platform, was conducted by Dr. Ian Ralby, globally recognised expert in maritime law and security from Auxilium Worldwide; Ms. Michelle Wiese Bockmann, Principal Analyst, Lloyd's List Intelligence; and Lieutenant Commander Daniel Castagne, Commander, Marine Ship Safety and Port Facility Security Unit, Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard.

While the Caribbean is usually constrained by its geography, the regime of maritime flags means that Caribbean states have floating areas of sovereign responsibility all over the world. Open registries - sometimes called flags of convenience - allow for vessels from anywhere to flag into a jurisdiction.

The Caribbean has a high concentration of open registries, and some are among the most rapidly growing flag registries. However, inconsistent oversight has made certain Caribbean jurisdictions attractive to different criminal groups, including high-risk fishing operators, cartels that traffic drugs, weapons, or humans, and, most recently, sanctioned actors.

Understanding the flag state regime and the responsibilities attached to having a flag registry provides a helpful starting point for reducing the possibilities of exploitation by illicit actors.

Furthermore, many Caribbean flag registries have been outsourced to companies in other parts of the world. Sometimes, those companies are unwilling to share critical information with the actual states. Work is needed, therefore, to reclaim control over some of the outsourced entities that are giving vessels Caribbean sovereignty with limited involvement of Caribbean states.

It is in this regard, that this online seminar was crucial, and participants had the opportunity to learn about the flag-state regime under international law and to better understand how it is operating today in the Caribbean.