Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • NEWS

Boom in ships that fly ‘fake’ flags and trash the environment

The number of ships using a ‘flag of convenience’ loophole that allows them to be scrapped in a place with lax environmental regulations is skyrocketing.
By
  1. Quirin Schiermeier

Ships transport 90% of the world’s traded cargo, so are crucial to the global economy. But when tankers and other large vessels are demolished, they generate huge amounts of marine pollution, particularly if it happens in countries where environmental regulations for ship-breaking yards are lax.

Access options

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01391-3

References

  1. Wan, Z., Wang, L., Chen, J. & Sperling, D. Mar. Pol. 130, 104542 (2021).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Singh, R., Cherrie, J. W., Rao, B. & Asolekar, S. R. Int. J. Hygiene Environ. Health 225, 113478 (2020).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Subjects

Latest on:

Nature Careers

Jobs

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing

Search

Advanced search

Quick links