Liberia Flag

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Being the second-largest maritime licenser in the world--with more than 1,800 vessels registered under its flag, including 35% of the world's tanker fleet--Liberia earned more than $15 million from its maritime program in 2004. There is increasing interest in the possibility of commercially exploitable offshore crude oil deposits along Liberia's Atlantic Coast. ... [Read More]

U.S. Policy Toward Liberia

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Committee, I am honored to appear before you today to discuss Liberia. For the past year the U.S. government has had three overarching priorities in Liberia: to stop the killing, to facilitate the flow of humanitarian aid, and to achieve a comprehensive, profound change in the way the country was governed. We have worked long and hard, in cooperation with likeminded Liberians and the international community, in pursuit of these goals. We are greatly encouraged by the results. We actively supported and made possible the successful deployment of West African peacekeepers and played a key role in producing the Accra Accords. We brokered the rebel withdrawal from Monrovia, opening the way for renewed humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of suffering people. We did this with a small--but crucial--military footprint. Liberia has taken the first steps toward stability. Largely through our effor ... [Read More]

U. S. Embassy, Nigeria: Information Section - Congressman Urges Financial Constraints On Liberian Government

Because of the time limitation, I will only be able to offer you a brief glimpse into these issues. Therefore, I would like to submit additional information to the committee including several news reports and excepts from three United Nations Security Council reports on the Liberian Sanctions that outline the connections between Charles Taylor, his revenue from the Liberian maritime flag registry, conflict diamonds, the humanitarian disaster in West Africa and international terrorism. Read in their entirety, these reports and investigations lead to one conclusion -- in the past the Liberian flag registry has been implicated in contributing to the continued reign of Charles Taylor, the leader one of the most brutal, murderous and dangerous regimes in the world. In short, there is blood on the flag, Mr. Chairman. ... [Read More]

US Department Of State Post Report

Liberia's economy was divided along traditional and modern sectors prior to 1989.  Seventy percent of the laborforce worked in subsistence agriculture based on rice farming, yet contributed less than 20% of the country's gross domestic product.  The development of Liberia's modern industrial sector began with the opening of the Firestone Rubber Plantation in 1926.  World War II brought an increased demand for rubber and heightened U.S. interest in the region, resulting in the construction by the U.S. Government of the Port of Monrovia and Roberts International Airport. The Open Door Policy of President William V.S. Tubman in the late 1940s led to the opening of high-grade iron ore mines. The U.S. Government, grateful for Liberian support during World War II, helped create a Liberian flag of convenience, which made Liberia the world's largest open maritime registry for more than 30 years. Tubman's policy also encouraged an increase in other foreign investments and attract ... [Read More]

Statement by President: Panama's Signing of Ship Boarding Agreement

The agreement establishes streamlined procedures for American officials to request and board ships registered to Panama if those ships are suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, or related materials. More ships sail under the Panamanian flag than that of any other nation. This agreement sends a strong signal to proliferators that the free nations of the world are determined to protect their people and preserve the peace. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: Maritime Administrator Backs Boosting U.S. Merchant Fleet

Further, many crews aboard flag of convenience vessels do not have the same high quality training as U.S. merchant mariners and mariners from OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] member states. Lastly, a ship owner who registers his or her vessel in an open registry does not need to have any connection or link to the country sponsoring the registry. As a result, the flag of convenience regimes can inadvertently open the door for criminal and terrorist activity that would be impossible under the U.S.-flag registry or other reputable flag states with high standards like the United States. ... [Read More]

The United States and the Republic of Croatia Proliferation Security Initiative Shipboarding Agreement

Croatia is the fourth state – following Liberia, Panama, and the Marshall Islands – to sign a Proliferation Security Initiative Shipboarding Agreement with the U.S. Signing the shipboarding agreement demonstrates the commitment of Croatia and the United States to ensuring the highest standards of security for their flag registries. Furthermore, the agreement recognizes Croatia’s ability and willingness to suppress proliferation in the Adriatic Sea. This reciprocal agreement also sends a clear message to proliferators that neither the U.S. nor Croatia will tolerate the involvement of their vessels in the trade of proliferation-related cargoes. We believe that Proliferation Security Initiative shipboarding agreements simultaneously deter proliferators and attract legitimate commercial shipping interests that want to ensure their goods are transported under a reputable and responsible flag, which is not "misused" to transport illicit proliferation-related shipments. ... [Read More]

Proliferation Security Initiative Ship Boarding Agreement with Liberia

6. Shipboarding Otherwise in Accordance with International Law. This Agreement does not limit the right of either Party to conduct boardings of vessels or other activities consistent with international law whether based, inter alia, on the right of visit, the rendering of assistance to persons, vessels, and property in distress or peril, or an authorization from the Flag or Coastal State, or other appropriate bases in international law. ... [Read More]

U.S. and Panama: Maritime Ship Boarding Agreement

On Wednesday, May 12, 2004, the United States and Panama signed a reciprocal maritime ship boarding agreement in support of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).   The Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI)  [Read More]

The United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands Proliferation Security Initiative Shipboarding Agreement

Benefits to Shipping and Commerce: Signing the Shipboarding Agreement demonstrates the Marshall Islands' commitment to engender greater confidence and security in its flag registry, the world's eleventh largest by gross tonnage. It bolsters the reputation of the Marshall Islands' ship registry and the confidence of those involved in the shipping trade that the Marshall Islands government is working to ensure that Marshall Islands flagged ships are not misused. ...

The Shipboarding Agreement will facilitate cooperation between the U.S. and the Marshall Islands to prevent shipments by sea of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems, or related materials by establishing procedures to board and search vessels suspected of carrying such items that are located in international waters. If a U.S. or Marshall Islands flagged vessel is suspected of carrying proliferation-related cargo, either Party to this agreement can request the other to confirm the nationality of the ship in question and, if needed, to authorize the boarding, search, and possible detention of the vessel and its cargo. ... [Read More]