June 6, 2025 — U.S. lawmakers in Congress have proposed a resolution condemning the use of flags of convenience, a practice where owners register their vessels in nations with lower standards and weaker regulatory enforcement to avoid taxes and regulations in their home nation.
Introduced by U.S. Representative James Moylan (R-Guam) and U.S. Representative Jill Tokuda (D-Hawaii), the resolution “condemns the international use of flag of convenience to avoid tariffs, sanctions, workplace rights, and basic safety standards, as well as supporting criminal opportunity, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and terrorist operations.”