Criminals set up a fake Irish Government agency to sell counterfeit maritime certificates, allowing shipowners to skirt employment law and maritime safety standards.
The operation is part of a sophisticated network of fraudulent registries providing owners of vessels with documents necessary to allow them operate at sea.
These forged documents allow ships to pass port inspections and operate with poor working conditions and untrained crews.
In some cases, they are used as cover by vessels operated by Russia to transport oil in contravention of international sanctions.
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The Irish aspect of the operation was first discovered by the Department of Transport in 2018 and referred to gardaí for investigation. The fake Irish registry is currently offline but was active as recently as last September.
Vessel owners could purchase fraudulent “competency” documents showing their crews were trained to the requisite level. The forged documents were based on genuine templates issued by the Mercantile Marine Office of the Department of Transport.
Copies of these documents are presented to port authorities during routine inspections in foreign ports. Inspectors are then directed towards a fraudulent website to “verify” the documents’ authenticity.
Irish officials first became aware of the fraud in early 2018 when, during a routine inspection, they examined “certificates of competency” for two crew members on a vessel.
These documents were found to be forgeries. At the same time, officials discovered the fake website.
The matter was reported to gardaí and the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), the United Nations agency responsible for the safety and security of shipping.
[ Dramatic increase in number of Russian ‘shadow ships’ in Irish-controlled watersOpens in new window ]
The Department has also been in contact with the International Maritime Organization “to issue a Circular on the issue of fraudulent certification of seafarers,” a spokesman said.
The IMO has previously “expressed great concern about the proliferation of fraudulent ... certificates of competency, or authentic certificates reportedly issued on the basis of forged foreign certificates, which had been found during port State control inspections and applications for recognition of certificates”.
According to a recent investigation by Lloyd’s List, a maritime journal, the fake Irish registry is part of a network of over 20 websites claiming to be legitimate maritime agencies of various governments.
Other countries being impersonated include Bangladesh, Tonga and Fiji.
In many cases, the websites allow shipowners to obtain documents showing their vessels have been registered in those countries, while not being subject to their laws or safety standards.
Increasing numbers of ships have been employing flying false flags and fraudulent documents to allow them transport Russian oil in contravention of EU sanctions imposed following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
According to the IMO, there are at least 306 fraudulently flagged ships in operation around the world which are falsely registered to 29 different countries.
The Department of Transport said it was “actively engaged on the issue” but was unaware of any ships using a false Irish flag
The spokesman said the department was currently engaged in a “focused inspection campaign” to check the certificates, including insurance certificates, or oil tankers passing through Irish waters.
