Flags of Convenience
Recently, while at Languard Point, I was at watching these two vessels coming into Felixstowe Port and mulling over their countries of origin. So, when at home, a bit of research on the internet gave me the following. ANNABA, registered in Liberia but owned by a firm in Germany. It has a length of 168m and deadweight of 20600 tons The MAERSK ESSEN, registered in the Marshall Islands but the owner is from Singapore. It has a length of 366m and deadweight of 142105 tons.The interesting point is that neither ship is registered in the country of the owner. So, why is this? Well, When registering a vessel for international travel, one must choose a nation under the flag of which that vessel will sail. The term “flag of convenience” refers to registering a ship in a sovereign state different from that of the ship's owners. Why register a flag of convenience? Ships registered under flags of convenience can often reduce operating costs or avoid the