Maritime authorities recently intercepted the Tagor, a tanker vessel sailing under a falsified Cameroonian flag, approximately 400 nautical miles west of Brittany. The ship, which had set sail from Murmansk, Russia, and was allegedly heading toward Limbe in Cameroon, underwent a nationality verification procedure at sea in accordance with Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Following the inspection, the vessel was escorted by the French Navy and redirected to a French port.
Yaoundé denies association with the vessel
Cameroon’s Transport Minister, Jean Ernest Masséna Ngalle Bibehe, issued a formal statement via national radio, clarifying that the Tagor does not appear in any official records of vessels authorized to fly the Cameroonian flag. The minister strongly condemned the fraudulent use of the country’s national maritime emblem and urged the global community to take immediate action against such illicit activities. He also emphasized Cameroon’s ongoing efforts to reform and modernize its vessel registration system.
The incident underscores the challenges faced by national flag registries when unauthorized actors exploit them to bypass international sanctions. The Cameroonian government is determined to distance itself from any involvement with vessels linked to the so-called