WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao Maritime Authority has issued a clarification following reports claiming that an oil tanker sailing under the Curaçao flag was destroyed by the United States in the Strait of Hormuz.
The authority stated that several facts need to be clarified regarding the reports.
First, Curaçao currently does not have any oil tankers registered under the Curaçao flag. According to the authority, the reports appear to refer to a so-called “dark fleet” vessel: ships that operate using false, misleading or unlawfully used registrations and flags in order to avoid international sanctions and regulatory controls.
The Curaçao Maritime Authority also emphasized that matters related to ship nationality, flag registration and international maritime legal relations fall under the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Any investigations into possible misuse of registrations or fraudulent flag claims therefore fall under the jurisdiction of the appropriate Kingdom authorities.
At this time, there are no indications that a legally registered Curaçao vessel was involved in the incident described in the reports.
The Curaçao Maritime Authority is urging media organizations and the public to carefully verify information before drawing conclusions about Curaçao’s possible involvement in international maritime incidents.