Condemning the illegal, international use of flag-of-convenience practices.

[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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