Khaberni - The Iraqi sailor, Ali Salman, revealed that Iraqi commercial ships still raise the Jordanian flag due to being registered with the Jordanian Maritime Authority and subject to its regulations.
Salman explained in a television interview that the registration of the ship determines the flag it flies, comparing it to vehicle registration, where a ship carries the flag of the “home port” in which it is registered, along with its connection to the owning state.
He pointed out that Iraqi ships, especially commercial ones, fly the Jordanian flag while operating in territorial and international waters, as they are registered in Jordan, noting that some ships might fly the flags of other countries such as Malta or the Marshall Islands depending on the registration authority.
He mentioned that this reality is due to the repercussions of the sanctions that were imposed on Iraq, clarifying that Iraq's membership in the International Maritime Organization is still “suspended”, despite its removal from the “blacklist”, without being included in the “whitelist”.
He added that this situation places Iraq in a “middle zone” in terms of maritime classification, which compels them to rely on registering their ships in other countries, including Jordan, to ensure their continued operation in international commercial transport.
