Flags of Convenience

This chapter explores the history of flags of convenience in the twentieth century - a term for the flags of countries which permitted other countries to register ships in their ports. It explores the benefits and perils of utilising flags of convenience, and attempts to determine the actual ownership of the ships; the forces that led countries to adopt flags of convenience; the attraction of particular flags including Liberia, Panama, and Honduras (collectively dubbed Panholib flags); the causes of growth in tonnage due to these flags; the wider effects of flags of convenience in worldwide shipping; and the British position in relation to them. It concludes that flags of convenience were a detriment to British shipping, but that this could have been avoided with a more efficient response from British shipowners, akin to the one demonstrated by the expanding Norwegian fleets.