LIBERIA · SHIPPING & SEAFARERS
Key Facts
- The country Liberia is a West African nation hosting what it calls the world’s largest ship registry.
- What happened Liberia told the UN shipping agency’s Council that seafarers need stronger protection.
- How big Liberia reports 12 of its tankers struck near the Gulf between 24 August and 2 November.
- The catch Gulf tanker crews survived with minor injuries, but a Black Sea attack killed one seafarer.
- Why it matters Liberia’s flag carries the most tonnage worldwide, so strikes can lift freight costs.
- What comes next Liberian ships in the Gulf region must keep security level 3, the scale’s highest step.
Liberia, which says it operates the world’s largest ship registry, told the governing Council of the United Nations shipping agency, which began meeting on 2 November, that seafarers caught in attacks on merchant vessels need stronger protection. Its own security bulletins record at least 12 strikes on Liberian-flagged tankers in and around the Persian Gulf between 24 August and 2 November.
For US readers, the story is about the oil and freight prices that follow when ships under the world’s biggest flag are hit near the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway through which much of the Gulf’s oil leaves. It also matters because the Liberia Maritime Authority, the state body that oversees the registry, issues its security bulletins from an office in Dulles, Virginia.
What Liberia Told the UN Shipping Agency
Neto Zarzar Lighe, Liberia’s Maritime Commissioner and chief executive of the Liberia Maritime Authority, spoke at the 138th session of the Council of the International Maritime Organization. The organization, known as the IMO, is the UN agency that sets global shipping safety rules, and its Council is its executive governing body.
Lighe referred to attacks on Liberian-flagged vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz and the Black Sea, and called for stronger international action to protect commercial shipping and seafarers. The IMO’s own Secretary-General, Arsenio Dominguez, made the same point about the Strait of Hormuz.
“No attack on innocent seafarers or civilian shipping is ever justified,” he said in a statement on 1 March 2026.
The Strikes on Liberian Tankers
The Liberia Maritime Authority publishes numbered Marine Security Bulletins for shipowners, and bulletins 31 to 45 cover 26 August to 3 November. Read together, they record Liberian-flagged tankers struck on 24 August, 31 August, 8 September, 21 September (two ships), 29 September, 2 October, 3 October (two ships), 11 October, 23 October and 2 November.
The bulletins describe the weapons as unknown projectiles or explosive devices, except the 2 November attack, which they attribute to drones on a tanker sailing from Kuwait to the United Arab Emirates. Damage ranged from a hole above the waterline to a disabled engine room and a fire after the 23 October strike.
Crews fared better than the ships, with no deaths reported on the tankers and minor injuries to two crew members on 21 September and to the master on 2 November. After the 23 October fire, the crew were reported safe while Oman’s navy or coast guard sent a boat to take them off.
A separate group of bulletins covers the Black Sea, where Liberian-flagged bulk carriers, a tanker and a container ship were hit by drones or unmanned boats. Bulletin 38 reports that one crew member died and three were injured on a bulk carrier struck at a Ukrainian port on 29 September and 2 October.
On 20 October, five explosions were heard near a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Arabian Gulf after a ship-to-ship cargo transfer, and no damage was reported. The authority says the nature of those explosions has not been confirmed.
Why Liberia’s Flag Matters
A flag state is the country whose law governs a ship, and Liberia, like Panama, registers vessels owned by companies from many countries. The registry describes itself as the world’s largest flag state and the leading flag for tankers, container ships and new liquefied gas carriers.
Liberian-flagged vessels in the Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Oman and the North Arabian Sea are ordered to operate at security level 3. That is the top step of the international three-level scale and requires every protective measure in a ship’s security plan.
What It Means for US Readers
Attacks on tankers raise war-risk insurance and freight costs, which can reach US importers and drivers through fuel prices. Because Liberia’s flag is the largest by gross tonnage, a run of strikes on that flag is a market signal and not only a safety story.
US-based shipowners, charterers and insurers dealing with Liberian-flagged ships will see the same advisories the authority sends to its fleet. The registry’s Virginia base also means its security guidance reaches the American shipping industry directly.
What Is Not Known
- The IMO said on 28 August that up to 400 ships carrying about 6,000 seafarers could not leave the Gulf, but gave no Liberian-flag share. The Liberia Maritime Authority can give that figure in a coming Marine Security Bulletin, though no date is public.
- The bulletins call most strikes unknown projectiles, so who fired them is unconfirmed. The Liberia Maritime Authority or the UK Maritime Trade Operations centre, which logs ship incidents in the region, can say if attribution is confirmed, and no date is public.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Liberia ask the IMO to do?
Liberia called for stronger international action to protect seafarers and shipping lanes. Its statement came ahead of the agency’s 138th Council session in London, which runs from 2 to 6 November.
How many Liberian tankers have been hit?
Liberia’s Marine Security Bulletins record at least 12 strikes on flagged tankers in and around the Gulf between 24 August and 2 November. The count starts at bulletin 31 and does not cover earlier bulletins.
Why does Liberia matter for global shipping?
Its registry says it is the world’s largest flag state and the leading flag for tankers. That means a large share of the ships in any war zone can be Liberian-flagged.
Were crew members killed?
The Gulf tanker bulletins report no deaths and only minor injuries to three crew members. A Black Sea bulletin reports one crew member dead and three injured on a bulk carrier at a Ukrainian port.
What does security level 3 mean?
It is the highest step on the international ship security scale and requires all protective measures in the ship’s security plan. Liberia has ordered it for its ships in the Gulf region.
Sources: Liberia Maritime Authority, Marine Security Bulletins 31 to 45 of 2026 (bulletin 45, 3 November 2026) and the Liberian Registry (liscr.com). International Maritime Organization statements of 1 March and 28 August 2026, and the statement of Liberia’s Permanent Mission to the IMO of 1 November 2026.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief