Botswana has distanced itself from an oil tanker targeted by the United States in the Persian Gulf, saying the vessel was falsely operating under its flag and exposing a growing problem that has increasingly drawn African countries into global sanctions enforcement disputes.
Botswana has distanced itself from an oil tanker targeted by the United States in the Persian Gulf, saying the vessel was falsely operating under its flag and exposing a growing problem that has increasingly drawn African countries into global sanctions enforcement disputes.
The controversy began after U.S. Central Command announced action against the “Botswana-flagged” tanker M/T Lexie as part of efforts to disrupt Iranian oil exports during escalating tensions involving Iran and the United States in the Gulf region.
Botswana quickly rejected any association with the vessel. In a strongly worded statement, the Ministry of International Relations said the southern African nation neither registers nor operates maritime vessels and therefore could not have legally authorised the tanker to sail under its flag.
The incident has highlighted a little-known but increasingly common practice in global shipping: flag fraud, in which vessels falsely claim registration in a country to conceal ownership, evade sanctions, avoid regulatory scrutiny, or obscure the origin of cargo.
According to the International Maritime Organisation’s Global Integrated Shipping Information System (GISIS), at least 529 vessels worldwide have been identified as fraudulently flying national flags.
Several African nations feature prominently among the countries most affected. The Comoros, an Indian Ocean archipelago nation, has recorded 83 falsely flagged vessels, making it one of the most frequently misused registries globally. Guinea, Madagascar, and Mali have also appeared among countries whose flags have been fraudulently used by ships seeking to avoid detection.
Ironically, both Botswana and Mali are landlocked countries with no coastline, making the fraudulent registrations especially striking.
Earlier this year, Madagascar’s Ports, Maritime and Rivers Agency issued a similar warning after discovering vessels operating internationally under the Malagasy flag without authorisation.
The agency stated that Madagascar had never issued documentation permitting those ships to engage in international navigation. Likewise, authorities in Comoros have repeatedly argued that the country is a victim rather than a participant in maritime fraud schemes.
The shadow fleet challenge
The misuse of African flags has become increasingly linked to the rise of so-called “shadow fleets”—ageing vessels used to transport sanctioned oil and other commodities outside conventional monitoring systems.
These fleets have expanded significantly following sanctions imposed on Iran, Russia, and Venezuela.
Analysts say operators often exploit weaknesses in maritime oversight systems by forging registration documents, changing vessel identities, disabling tracking systems, or falsely claiming association with countries that have limited maritime enforcement capacity.
The practice creates reputational risks for affected nations while complicating international efforts to monitor global shipping and enforce sanctions.