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For information on the band 'Flag of Convenience' created by Steve Diggle and John Maher of the Buzzcocks, see http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=flag_of_convenience. A flag of convenience is a Flag of one country, flown by a Ship owned by a citizen of another country. The ship owner can thereby often avoid Tax es and make registration easier; the country providing the flag charges money for that service. The International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) maintains a list of countries that use their flag for this purpose. The use of a flag of convenience in order to take advantage of another nation's laxer registration standards is frowned upon for two reasons: The practice causes nations with stricter requirements to lose income and safety/work conditions of shipboard employees may suffer. However, many nations under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS) require minimum standards for vessels entering their national waters. In the case of the United States, the Coast Guard requires inspections on at least an annual basis and may deny entry to American waters based on defects not corrected. Ships at sea fly a national Flag called an Ensign . Under conventions of International Law , the flag flown by a Ship determines the source of law to be applied in Admiralty cases, regardless of which Court has Personal Jurisdiction over the parties. Cheap registration fees, low taxes, and freedom from Labor Laws or safety standards are motivating factors for many flags of convenience. Fishing boat owners who use a flag of convenience can also ignore their home countries' Conservation agreements. To quote William Langewiesche's ''The Outlaw Sea'': "No one pretends that a ship comes from the home port painted on its stern, or that it has ever been anywhere near. , "Cambodia" by another in South Korea , and the proud and independent "Bahamas" by a group in the City Of London ." According to the International Transport Workers Federation : "Casualties are higher among FOC vessels. In 2001, 63 per cent of all losses in absolute tonnage terms were accounted for by just 13 FOC registers. The top five registers in terms of numbers of ships lost were all FOCs: Panama, Cyprus, St Vincent, Cambodia and Malta." COUNTRIES DECLARED FOCS BY THE ITF As of 2003, the ITF has declared the following countries flag-of-convenience countries. There are other countries apart from these that will also sell the use of their flag.
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