600 Vessels Flying Sierra Leone Flag of Convenience: Is Agios Bessetere Among Them?
By VOS Writer
The Sierra Leone Maritime Administration (SLMA) has disclosed that approximately 600 vessels are currently operating under the Sierra Leone flag of convenience, raising renewed public interest in the country’s ship registry and lingering questions surrounding the controversial Agios Bessetere vessel.
Speaking during an interview on Truth Media, the Director of Research, Maritime Education and Training at the SLMA, Emmanuel Pius Richards, explained that Sierra Leone Maritime Administration has a registry office based in Cyprus responsible for processing and registering vessels that fly the Sierra Leone flag.
According to Richards, the Executive Director of the Sierra Leone Maritime Administration, Daniel Kaitibie, serves as the Chief Registrar and has the authority to approve vessels before they are registered under the country’s flag.
“SLMA has a registry institution based in Cyprus that is responsible for the registration of vessels flying the Sierra Leone flag of convenience. The company has the criteria for vessels to be registered under the Sierra Leone flag, and the SLMA Executive Director is the Chief Registrar who approves vessels before they are allowed to fly the Sierra Leone flag,” Richards stated.
Richards also addressed concerns over abandoned vessels along Sierra Leone’s coastline, revealing that a Joint Maritime Committee meets weekly to coordinate efforts to remove wrecked and abandoned vessels.
He disclosed that two abandoned vessels remain stranded at Lumley-Aberdeen Beach, while another is located at Banana Island.
“We have written to the representatives of these vessels, but they have not been cooperative. We have now decided to take action,” he said.
However, Richards’ remarks have renewed public scrutiny over the transparency of Sierra Leone’s flag-of-convenience registry.
Observers argue that if the SLMA has the statutory responsibility to approve and register vessels flying the Sierra Leone flag, the institution should be able to clarify whether the Agios Bessetere yacht, which was intercepted over a year ago in Hamilton Beach with Sierra Leone flag, was legally registered under the country’s ship registry.
More than a year after the Sierra Leone Police announced an investigation into the vessel, neither the police nor the SLMA has publicly disclosed the outcome of the investigation. The continued silence has fueled speculation and raised fresh questions about accountability, oversight, and the integrity of Sierra Leone’s maritime registry.
With officials confirming that nearly 600 vessels currently operate under the Sierra Leone flag of convenience, many stakeholders believe the public deserves greater transparency regarding how vessels are vetted, monitored, and held accountable when concerns arise.
Until the authorities provide a definitive update on the Agios Bessetere investigation, questions surrounding the vessel and the country’s flag-of-convenience registry are likely to persist.
