THE presence of questionable vessels with false flags and registration in the Caribbean Sea, as well as several oil spills linked to Venezuelan oil refineries in late 2024, may pose future concerns for the Caribbean region.

This warning has come from of Dr Anthony Gonsalves, an Honorary Senior Fellow of the Institute of International Relations.

These incidents continue to occur as the worldwide maritime industry’s concerns about fake vessel registrations continue to escalate. Recent media reports have emphasised the suspension of five oil tankers associated with a Syrian business with claimed ties to Iran and Venezuela. These vessels were also discovered to be flying fraudulent flags and had fraudulent registration paperwork.