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MARITIME
Eswatini is battling an identity crisis on the seas

The country many of you don’t know about is making headlines for the same reason. Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland is under scrutiny for multiple reports of ships sailing under its flag despite not permitting any company or agency to register ships under its flag.

While some ships bearing the country’s flag were mistakenly registered by the Eswatini Maritime Affairs and Development entity, about 380 were unaccounted for.

A great place to hide

In April of this year, Eswatini became the latest addition to the maritime industry’s list of Flags of Convenience. These are countries where it is very lucrative to register ships because there is no regulation, oversight, and accountability. They allow for the exploitation and abandonment of seafarers.

"The aim is to provide a shortcut for shipowners to generate money without necessarily complying with best practice and due diligence,” said Paddy Crumblin, President of the ITF. Some 50 percent of the world fleet is registered in FOC states. The top three contributors –Panama, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands – account for over 40 percent of FOC fleet worldwide.

Oil money is sweet, but sanctioned oil? Eswatini’s illegal ships have been reported to be major contributors in the transportation of sanctioned oil from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine, with an estimated $22 billion of illicit petrol being ferried undercover annually.

Also, the government of Eswatini has issued the equivalent of a maritime ‘cease and desist’ letter to seaports, urging them to turn away any ships bearing its flag. -GN

SNIPPETS

Call to action. South African Pres. Ramaphosa has urged for a peaceful resolution to the ongoing Gaza war in a speech to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. Latest figures report a death toll of 41,000 Palestinians since the start of the war.

Not this time around. Military officers have been apprehended in Burkina Faso following revelations of an attempted military coup against military Head of State, Ibrahim Traore. Suspects are reported to have participated in Traore’s successful coup in 2022…would you just look at the world?

Yikes. WHO reports almost 30,000 suspected mpox cases in Africa since the start of the year. Meanwhile, vaccination campaigns on the continent are yet to kick off; the earliest date being October 2nd for DR Congo.

Getting to work. With less than 2 months before the legislative elections begin, Senegal is witnessing a shake-up as new party alliances are forming in a bid to sweep parliamentary seats. The former parliament was dissolved earlier in the month by Pres. Faye due to lack of cooperation with his ambitions.

If you’re a fan of basketball, tune in to Netflix to watch the premiere of ‘Starting 5’, starring heavyweights like LeBron James and Jason Tatum. The series provides a behind-the-scenes POV of the just concluded 2023-2024 season.