Maritime Sanctions Data
Flag-of-convenience reliance by sanctions program
Data as of 2026-10-21 · source: U.S. Treasury OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list
Flag-of-convenience reliance varies sharply by sanctions program: 79.2% of the Terror-finance / proliferation-program fleet flies a shell-jurisdiction flag versus 12.5% of the North Korea (DPRK)-program fleet — across 1,515 OFAC-designated vessels with a recorded flag (data as of 2026-10-21).
| Sanctions regime (its flag-of-convenience rate) | flag-of-convenience vessels | % of total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iran — 66.1% flag of convenience | 438 | 61% | |
| Russia — 41.7% flag of convenience | 177 | 24.7% | |
| Terror-finance / proliferation — 79.2% flag of convenience | 76 | 10.6% | |
| Venezuela — 23.3% flag of convenience | 14 | 1.9% | |
| North Korea (DPRK) — 12.5% flag of convenience | 12 | 1.7% | |
| Cuba — 33.3% flag of convenience | 1 | 0.1% | |
| Other regimes (173 vessels: GLOMAG, ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059, LIBYA3) — 0% flag of convenience | 0 | 0% | |
| Total | 718 | 100% |
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Methodology
- A cross-tabulation of the existing by-flag and by-program datasets: for each OFAC sanctions program, the share of its flagged vessels that fly a Tier-3 flag-of-convenience / shell-jurisdiction register (the same jurisdiction-tier model the by-flag dataset uses).
- The % in each row label is that regime's OWN flag-of-convenience rate (its FoC vessels / its flagged vessels). The table is restricted to the flag-of-convenience fleet, so the row count is the regime's FoC vessel count and the row percentage is its share of the whole flag-of-convenience fleet.
- Computed over the 1,515 OFAC-designated vessels that carry a recorded flag in the SDN feed; each vessel is assigned to one strongest sanctions regime.
- A sanctioned state's own flag (North Korea's register, for example) is counted as a sanctioned-state flag, not a flag of convenience, exactly as in the by-flag dataset. A regime whose fleet mostly flies its own state's flag therefore shows a low flag-of-convenience rate.
- "Other regimes" groups the 173 flagged vessels designated under any other programme (mostly GLOMAG, ILLICIT-DRUGS-EO14059, LIBYA3). Their most common flags are China 157, Ecuador 10, Malta 6; 0 of them fly a flag-of-convenience register.
Source: U.S. Treasury OFAC Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list. Computed by the same ArcNautical engine behind arcnautical.com/check (commit 70618f2e8). Full scoring detail: methodology.
FAQ
Which sanctions program relies most on flags of convenience?
As of 2026-10-21, the Terror-finance / proliferation-program fleet has the highest flag-of-convenience rate (79.2% of its flagged vessels fly a shell-jurisdiction register), versus 12.5% for the North Korea (DPRK)-program fleet.
How is "flag of convenience" defined?
A registry classified Tier 3 by ArcNautical's jurisdiction-tier model — a flag-of-convenience / tax-haven register (e.g. Panama, Marshall Islands, Liberia) where beneficial-ownership disclosure is deliberately restricted. It is the same definition the ArcNautical vessel dossier and the by-flag dataset use.