[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 463 Introduced in House (IH)]
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119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 463
Condemning the illegal, international use of flag-of-convenience
practices.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 3, 2025
Mr. Moylan (for himself, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Case, Mr. Huffman, Mr.
Garamendi, and Mrs. Radewagen) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition
to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to
be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Condemning the illegal, international use of flag-of-convenience
practices.
Whereas many flag-of-convenience ships are not under a binding contractual
obligation to serve United States needs in emergencies, and this
practice undermines the United States merchant marine fleet for the
purposes of United States commerce and military auxiliary in time of war
or national emergency;
Whereas many flag-of-convenience ships may not be readily available or compliant
during crises, despite being United States-owned, leaving the United
States not fully prepared for future threats, and moreover, flag-of-
convenience ships may be caught between conflicting national interests,
making their reliability in emergencies uncertain;
Whereas flag-of-convenience ships are often used to avoid tariffs, sanctions,
and other economic policies, and furthermore, it is unlikely that flag-
of-convenience ships will transition back to the United States flag
because of a lack of international oversight capacities and criminal
opportunity;
Whereas the lack of transparency in the global fishing sector, such as flag of
convenience, is a key enabler of illegal, unreported, and unregulated
fishing;
Whereas the United States Coast Guard has identified illegal, unreported, and
unregulated fishing as a main contributor to the collapse or decline of
fisheries that are critical to the economic growth, food systems, and
ecosystems of numerous countries around the world;
Whereas flag-of-convenience practices threaten American maritime-related
industries, like supporting illegal, unreported, and unregulated
fishing, which has cost the global seafood industry approximately
$50,000,000,000 annually;
Whereas the use of flag of convenience by fishing vessels impairs detection
capabilities in the fishing sector, impeding efforts to identify, track,
and sanction all beneficiaries of the illegal, unreported, and
unregulated fishing activities;
Whereas flag-of-convenience practices enable crimes such as illicit trafficking,
forced labor, and terrorist financing, demonstrating how the lack of
international oversight has promoted maritime crime and smuggling;
Whereas a 2002 congressional panel determined that al-Qaida was operating ships
under flag-of-convenience practices, exemplifying how lax shipping
oversight allows criminals and terrorists to move arms, money, or even
weapons of mass destruction;
Whereas the use of flag of convenience reduces employment opportunities for
American seafarers by bypassing United States labor standards, and
furthermore, ships that operate under United States labor laws may be
sold to foreign owners to maintain cost competitiveness through flag-of-
convenience practices;
Whereas shipowners use flag of convenience to avoid and undermine existing
United States laws, including fair wages, up-to-date onboard safety
conditions, adequate food and clean drinking water, and reasonable
working hours;
Whereas, according to the International Transport Workers' Federation, workers
onboard flag-of-convenience vessels are more likely to experience low
wages, poor onboard conditions, insufficient food and clean drinking
water, and long periods of work without proper rest;
Whereas nations that offer flag-of-convenience practices may lack the capacity
to enforce maritime labor and safety regulations effectively, and
additionally, these nations may not have the capabilities to determine
if vessels host substandard conditions and a crew that suffers from
inadequate working and living conditions;
Whereas some registry nations benefit from international status and fees but may
purposefully not ensure compliance with international standards, and
some landlocked nations offer open ship registries with minimal
oversight for cost saving and criminal usage; and
Whereas the flag-of-convenience practices undermine President Trump's Restoring
America's Maritime Dominance initiative by attracting United States-
built ships to reflag to another nation, and moreover, America's
shipbuilding and ship repair industries are put at a disadvantage
because of other nations' lower ship standards: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes the need for more funding, employment
opportunities, and protections for the United States maritime
industry;
(2) supports initiatives that seek to address critical
shortfalls in the United States shipbuilding and ship repair
industries while reiterating the need for a capable, reliable
United States maritime auxiliary;
(3) reaffirms the congressional support for United States
businesses that rely on robust and reliable maritime shipping,
shipbuilding, fishing, and tourism industries;
(4) condemns the international use of flag of convenience
to avoid tariffs, sanctions, workplace rights, and basic safety
standards, as well as supporting criminal opportunity, illegal,
unreported, and unregulated fishing, and terrorist operations;
(5) reiterates the mission of the United States Coast Guard
and encourages further international maritime collaborations
through vital shiprider agreements;
(6) strongly condemns countries that purposefully ignore
maritime safety standards and mariners' workplace rights;
(7) emphasizes the importance of Port State Control
Agreement, including the Abuja Memorandum of Understanding, the
Black Sea Memorandum of Understanding, the Caribbean Memorandum
of Understanding, the Indian Ocean Memorandum of Understanding,
the Mediterranean Memorandum of Understanding, the Paris
Memorandum of Understanding, the Riyadh Memorandum of
Understanding, the Tokyo Memorandum of Understanding, and the
Vina del Mar Agreement;
(8) strongly supports the efforts of the International
Transport Workers' Federation to prevent and mitigate the
effects of flag-of-convenience practices; and
(9) calls on the United Nations, the International Maritime
Organization, and the International Labour Organization to
condemn flag-of-convenience practices globally and assist
member nations in upholding global maritime standards.
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