Registration of ships must be above board
What you need to know:
- Countries must exercise regulatory control over vessels, including inspecting them regularly, certifying their equipment and crew as well as issuing them with safety and pollution prevention documents
Reports that a ship sailing under the Tanzanian flag was intercepted in the Mediterranean Sea with a cargo of cannabis worth over Sh125 billion on board are a big embarrassment to the country. Not long ago, 36 oil tankers owned by Iran were also reported to be flying the Tanzanian flag. This put Tanzania in danger of facing international penalties for aiding a country that was the target of UN sanctions.
Zanzibar has since deregistered the Iranian ships, but new questions are being asked after the MV Gold Star, which has been registered in isles, was seized with 30 tonnes of cannabis on board.
Ship registration is meant to document and associate the vessel with a particular country. The registering country gains in terms of taxes and other fees. However, according to international conventions, the gains a registering country enjoys are supposed to go hand in hand with responsibility.
Countries must exercise regulatory control over vessels, including inspecting them regularly, certifying their equipment and crew as well as issuing them with safety and pollution prevention documents. It means that a registering country must thoroughly scrutinise the true intentions of ship owners seeking to have their vessels registered. Quite often, what ship owners may be seeking is not necessarily better registration fee terms, but a convenient address from which to conceal some dubious activities.
This is why it can be concluded that the authorities involved in the registration of the MV Gold Star did not do their job properly.The incident could be just a tip of the iceberg – more embarrassing similar incidents might come to light in due course.
The key questions include: how clean was the deal in which the MV Gold Star clinched a Tanzanian flag? What other crimes could have been committed by some other crews of ships flying this country’s flag? What do we do as a country known for putting national honour above material gain? These are tough questions which need to be answered by our men and women at the top.
