H.Res. 463

[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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