Analysts: Almost 300 tankers are sailing under false flags

Israeli shipping analytics firm Windward said nearly 300 tankers are operating under false flags.

At the same time, there has been a growing crackdown on the practice in recent weeks, Splash 24/7 reports.

According to Windward, at the end of 2025, approximately 285 tankers operating internationally were transmitting AIS signals under a flag of a fraudulent or unknown registry. The company identified 18 such fraudulent registries, noting that 91% of the vessels using these fraudulent registries were already under sanctions.

The most frequently used fraudulent registries were Guinea (51 vessels), the Netherlands Antilles (45), Guyana (44) and Aruba (24).

“False flags weaken the commercial and legal infrastructure on which the expected functioning of global shipping depends,” Windward said.

In particular, the increased fight refers to the US detention of tankers associated with Venezuelan trade.

Countries are also increasingly distancing themselves from organizations that claim to register ships on their behalf. For example, the Tongan government said in early January that it would condemn any foreign ships claiming to sail under its flag. The statement said that Tonga’s international ship registry was closed in 2002 and the kingdom does not register foreign ships that sail internationally.

“When a ship claims a false or non-existent registry, the mechanisms that underlie maritime trade begin to fail. The flag state’s responsibilities become unenforceable. Insurance and classification associated with that flag may be invalid, suspended or impossible to verify,” Windward emphasized.

As USM previously reported, more than 50% of sanctioned ships sail under false flags. In 2025, the change of flags by ships (so-called flag-hopping) reached a record level.