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Flag of convenience facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Flag of convenience is a word from shipping. Every ship needs to be registered in a port. The laws of the port are valid for the ship's crew. In some countries the rules are not as strict as in others, or they are cheaper to use. Many owners of ships from other countries register their ships in one of those easy or cheap countries. The ship might never even come anywhere near that country, but it must fly the flag of the country where it was registered. This is then called a flag of convenience. Among the most popular flags are Panama, Marshall Islands and Liberia.

Images for kids

  • Liberian flag on Mol Pride

    MOL Pride, owned and operated by the Japanese company Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, flying the flag of Liberia and home-ported in its capital, Monrovia.

  • Ship in Cork Port

    MV Mainport Pine, a seismic support vessel owned by Irish company Mainport Group, flies the flag of the Marshall Islands and bears the home port of Majuro.

  • Amoco Cadiz 1 edit1

    The sinking of Amoco Cadiz led to concerted ship inspections by port states.

  • Furuseth-La Follette-Steffens-1915

    The engineers of the Seamen's Act, from left to right, maritime labor leader Andrew Furuseth, Senator Robert La Follette, and muckraker Lincoln Steffens, circa 1915

  • Top11FOCs2009

    The top 11 flags of convenience in 2009, accounting for almost 55% of the entire world fleet

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Pabellón de conveniencia para niños

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