PRESIDENT Dr Irfaan Ali has made it clear that Guyana is not implicated in the controversial oil tanker seized by United States authorities, noting that the matter involves fraudulent operators illegally flying the country’s flag.
The Head of State emphasised this while responding to questions on the sidelines of the opening of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel.
Speaking on the matter, the President said: “It’s not a matter of being concerned; it’s a matter that you have fraudsters operating out there. We have raised this to the international body, we have raised this, and we have raised this with all other partners so here again is a fraudulent actor operating our flag illegally.”
His remarks came in response to reports surrounding an oil tanker which was intercepted by US forces in the Indian Ocean for transporting Iranian oil in violation of sanctions.
Earlier on Thursday, the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) in a statement clarified that the vessel is not registered in Guyana and is falsely carrying the country’s flag.
The statement explained that while the vessel’s name had been changed, its International Maritime Organisation (IMO) number links it to a previously sanctioned ship known as PHONIX.
“There is no record of this vessel or name in Guyana’s registry. Therefore, the ship is fraudulently flying the Guyana flag,” MARAD stated.
The department emphasised that Guyana operates a closed registry, limiting vessel registration to nationals, residents, CARICOM citizens, and companies established under Guyanese law criteria, which the vessel’s purported owners do not meet.
MARAD further noted that such fraudulent registrations are not new, with similar incidents recorded since 2021 and affecting multiple countries, including Panama and other regional states.
The issue has been recognised by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), which maintains a list of vessels falsely flying member state flags.
The department indicated that Guyana continues to share information on such cases with international partners, including United Nations maritime states, as efforts intensify to combat the misuse of national registries.
They further cautioned against the spread of unverified claims that could undermine confidence in Guyana’s ship registry, maintaining that the integrity of the system remains intact.
