Islands responsible for tackling false flag shipping says The Hague

THE HAGUE--The governments of Curaçao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten bear direct responsibility for addressing the fraudulent use of their flags by Russian oil tankers seeking to evade international sanctions. That was the clear message in a parliamentary briefing of 8 September 2025, where Dutch Foreign Minister D.M. van Weel stressed that while the Netherlands will provide assistance, the autonomous countries must also act to safeguard their credibility.

The controversy arose after a July investigation by Follow the Money revealed that vessels tied to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” were sailing with falsified registrations from the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. Curaçao, the only island that maintains an official international shipping register, confirmed that no Russian tankers are legally listed there. This means ships currently flying Curaçao’s flag are doing so fraudulently. Aruba and Sint Maarten, which do not operate international registers, face an even more straightforward situation: any vessel carrying their flags is automatically in violation of maritime law.

Minister van Weel warned that the misuse of Kingdom flags damages credibility and is “highly undesirable.” While fraudulent shipping practices are a global problem, he said the steps already taken by the Netherlands and Curaçao to identify and expose such schemes have bolstered their international standing. Nonetheless, the presence of counterfeit Caribbean flags on Russian-linked vessels poses serious reputational risks and complicates enforcement of global sanctions.

The ministry noted that these shadow fleet ships are deliberately elusive, making them “very difficult to trace and tackle.” Estimates suggest several dozen are currently active. In August, the Coast Guard intercepted two tankers operating under false Aruban flags that were already sanctioned by the EU. The ships were contacted, their documents reviewed, and they were escorted through part of the Kingdom’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Additional inspections of vessels in Kingdom waters are now being prepared.

To strengthen enforcement, the Netherlands is coordinating with European partners. Earlier this year, it joined 13 EU states in pressing for joint measures against Russia’s shadow fleet. Within the Kingdom, oversight is shared among the Maritime Authority Curaçao, the Dutch Transport Inspectorate, the Caribbean Coast Guard, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Even so, the absence of registers in Aruba and Sint Maarten leaves their names vulnerable to abuse. The Dutch government emphasized that while it will continue to raise the issue with international organizations such as the IMO and alert foreign ports that ships flying Aruban or Sint Maarten flags are acting illegally, the responsibility to take proactive measures rests with the islands themselves.

Dutch lawmakers also raised wider concerns about Western companies selling aging tankers to obscure buyers who later lease them to Russia. The Netherlands pointed out that EU regulations already require reporting of such sales, with data shared among member states. Still, Parliament questioned whether stricter monitoring will be needed going forward.

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