Which Flag?

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by Heath68

Hi all,
...
We plan to circumnavigate so we will bump into countries who may like or dislike a UK or Maltese flag but we don't know where they are or who they like/dislike. ...

Are you asking for a list of all the countries upon which the UK has shat on, and/or stolen from (sorry I meant colonised), or gone to war with or stolen their people for slavery? It's a rather long list me thinks.

As an aside I'm surprised, given Brexit, that Brits can still have their boats registered in the EU.

[Montanan]

Perhaps bratach na h-Alba [a.k.a. the flag of Scotland].

A proud and grand white Saltire defacing a blue background. Darker hues of blue are appropriate for maritime usage.

Albeit it resembles the letter M in the international signal flags and means my vessel is stopped and making no way through the water.

Has Alba completed its Brexit?

[Icarus]

Well said...

[Epikur]

What is the legal consequence of a flag for a pleasure vessel?

As a german citizen I‘m legally „entitled“ to fly a german flag as national flag of my sailboat. But what does it actually say? Except giving a hint to the bystanders that the owner might be german.

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Epikur

What is the legal consequence of a flag for a pleasure vessel?

As a german citizen I‘m legally „entitled“ to fly a german flag as national flag of my sailboat. But what does it actually say? Except giving a hint to the bystanders that the owner might be german.

A vessel wears a nation's flag when it has been granted nationality by the nation state.

Vessels wear a flag, they do NOT fly a flag.

One can "fly" any flag they wish but that does not equate to a vessel being "flagged" by and given nationality by the Nation State. You are entitled to chose to display / fly a Pirate, White, Rainbow, Provincial, Municipal, Club, Political, etc. flag.

Flag states must, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law Of the Sea (UNCLOS) ensure that ships under their flag comply with international regulations, often adopted by the UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO), on matters of safety, navigation, crewing etc.

The vessel [not You, a person] is only legally entitled to wear the Nation State's flag designation symbol when the Nation State has granted nationality to the vessel by the registering authority of the Nation State. No registration, no nationality, no meaning to the flying of the piece of cloth.

By way of example, a vessel may be registered with one of the States of the United States of America nation state. An American vessel may fly its flag of the State and even that of the USA when in a State's territorial waters, but that vessel is not flagged as a vessel with USA nationality until it has been documented with the USCG, the federal government vessel registry. Once the USA vessel leaves USA territorial waters and become subject to international marine laws or enters foreign nation waters, the State only registration [not USCG Nation State documented vessel] is not accorded UNCLOS recognition as a USA flagged vessel because a State of the USA is not a Nation State of the UNCLOS agreement.

For more information reference link:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ship_registration

Reference to an article regarding unauthorized use of maritime flags. Fraudulent and False flagging.

https://cimsec.org/unauthorized-flag...ritime-regime/

[barnakiel]

It is nice to have a flag that does not catch the eye too much. One that does not have too many too emotional connotations.


Some EU citizens are allowed to have their boats registered under a foreign flag. This sometimes helps in a way. Most often in tax evading way, at other times in regulatory evading way.


A Maltese flag. A Gibraltar flag. A Dutch flag (formerly) or a Polish flag (more recently).


BTW A Polish lawyer friend of mine says there is already a bill proposal drafted in Poland to ban all future and PAST registration to non-nationals). I know this is bad news but hey hey and not everyday is a Christmas.


b.