Concerns about fraudulent oil tanker raised with int’l partners – President Ali

President Dr. Irfaan Ali said Thursday that Guyana has engaged its international partners after a US-seized oil tanker was found fraudulently flying a Guyanese flag.

“We have raised this with the international body, we have raised it with all other partners…. Here again is a fraudulent actor operating (under) our flag illegally,” President Ali told reporters on the sidelines of the opening of the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel on Thursday evening.

Earlier Thursday, Guyana’s Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) said the Majestic X oil tanker that was seized by US forces in the Indian Ocean is not registered locally.

“This ship is NOT registered in Guyana; thus, the registration is false and fraudulent. While the name of the vessel has changed, the IMO number remains recorded in the international database 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 said.

This is not the first time vessels have falsely flown the Golden Arrowhead, which is Guyana’s national flag.

MARAD addressed this in Thursday’s release, noting, “The incidences of false Guyana registrations were recognised since 2021. The perpetrators of this fraud have targeted several countries, including Guyana, Panama, and regional states. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) publishes a list of all ships falsely flying flags of member states.

“The Maritime Administration Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continue to share information on these false registrations, which come into our possession, with all United Nations (UN) maritime states, and relevant regional and international maritime associations.”