Foreign Flag or Flag of Convenience?
by Ian Bowles
During the glory days of empire and famous shipping lines, it would have been easy for nationalistic tendencies to come to the fore. Easy to look down one’s nose at others, but at the same time though, have a mutual respect for one’s equals. Thus it came to be that there could be two main types of national ensign; one that is of a major seafaring nation and the other that is of not such a nation, and so entered the “flag of convenience” or as it was often also called, “foreign flag”. That is, a foreign flag was a bad flag.
Now fast forward to a few years ago and the Connecticut Maritime Association’s annual Shipping event. Your author had a great chat with a young man fresh out of King’s Point, his 2nd Mates ticket still in the wrapper, although he was old enough to drink! When I asked him what his plans were he said he was going to have either join some domestic tug company or a domestic tanker company, both trading up and down the US coast. Is that all that is on offer I asked and he said yes, without going foreign flag.
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