UAE bans Cameroon flagged oil tankers over safety concerns

Summary:

• The UAE has banned oil tankers flying the Cameroon flag due to safety concerns, adding Cameroon to a restricted list, with vessels failing safety inspections and categorized as high risk, while also cautioning maritime companies and ship agents against providing services to Cameroon-registered vessels; other flagged countries on the UAE blacklist include Albania, Belize, North Korea, Sao Tome and Principe, Tonga, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Tanzania.

The UAE has banned oil tankers flying the Cameroon flag from entering its waters, a move prompted by escalating safety concerns regarding such vessels.

As per a circular on the Port of Fujairah‘s website, issued by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure, the Cameroon flag has been recently added to a restricted list.

Maritime companies and ship agents are advised against offering services to vessels registered in Cameroon.

Typically, most trading ships operate under the flag of the country where they are owned or primarily function. The restricted list includes flag states whose ships are barred from making port calls in the UAE or entering its territorial waters.

Last year, Cameroon vessels failed safety inspections at various ports and were categorised as very high risk. However, this ban does not extend to ships that have undergone assessments by broader international classification bodies.

The Paris MoU on Port State Control has also placed the Cameroon flag on its blacklist. A recent evaluation of the so-called grey tanker fleet by French brokers reveals 675 units, accounting for 7.4% of the global tanker fleet.

A weekly tanker report by BRS highlighted, “Given that the average age of these ships is 21 years, and considering their opaque certification and insurance, we believe these tankers pose the most significant environmental and regulatory concerns.”

Additionally, the UAE’s blacklist of flagged countries includes Albania, Belize, North Korea, Sao Tome and Principe, Tonga, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Tanzania.