A Cameroonian flag flies on a ship at the port in Douala, Cameroon, on April 10, 2022. In recent years, the country has emerged as one of several go-to countries for the widely criticized “flags of convenience” system, under which companies can – for a fee – register their ships in a foreign country even though there is no link between the vessel and the nation whose flag it flies. (AP Photo/Grace Ekpu)
DOUALA, Cameroon (AP) — Off the coast of West Africa, the Trondheim is a familiar sight: a soccer field-sized ship, plying the waters from Nigeria to Mauritania as it pulls in tons of mackerel and sardines — and flying the red, yellow and green flag of Cameroon.
But aside from the flag, there is almost nothing about the Trondheim that is Cameroonian.
Once, it operated under the name of the King Fisher and sailed under the flag of the Caribbean nation St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Then it switched to Georgia, the former Soviet republic. It was only in 2019 that it began flying the banner of Cameroon.
The Trondheim is one of several vessels reflagged under Cameroon’s growing fishing fleet that have changed names and been accused of illicit activities at sea. Currently, an investigation by The Associated Press found, 14 of these vessels are owned or managed by companies based in European Union member states: Belgium, Malta, Latvia and Cyprus.
This story was supported by funding from the Walton Family Foundation and the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Copyright 2021 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/ocean-fisheries-cameroon-fishing-flags-8d2af6cff048121683cb3ce3622387b7
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