A sanctioned oil tanker, which was boarded and seized by US Forces in the Indian Ocean today, was found to be falsely flying the flag of Guyana, according to the Maritime Administration Department.

The vessel, “Majestic X” was intercepted for transporting Iranian oil. It was previously sanctioned by the US Treasury Department in 2024 under the name “PHONIX” for smuggling Iranian crude oil in violation of American sanctions on the Islamic Republic.

The Maritime Administration Department in a statement this afternoon said the ship is not registered in Guyana, and its purported registration is false and fraudulent.

MARAD said while the name of the vessel has changed, the IMO number remains recorded in the international database as PHONIX, and there is no record of this vessel or name in Guyana’s registry.

MARAD reminded that Guyana operates a closed registry, and therefore the registration of vessels under the Guyana flag is limited to ships owned by Guyanese nationals, residents, citizens of Caribbean Community states (CARICOM), and corporate bodies established under the laws of Guyana.

It said none of the purported owners of the vessel in question falls into any of those categories.

According to MARAD, the issue of false Guyana registrations was recognised since 2021.

Guyana was found to be among several countries that were targeted.

The Maritime Administration Department and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs say they continue to share information on the false registrations with all United Nations (UN) maritime states, and relevant regional and international maritime associations.

The sanctions being applied by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and other Western States are in part a response to the threats posed by these false registrations, MARAD noted.

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