US-Streitkräfte beschlagnahmen den fünften mit Venezuela in Verbindung stehenden Öltanker

Surrogate submission statement:

As the US seizes a 5th ship flying under a questionable flag (in this case, [Sao Tome and Principe](https://www.vesselfinder.com/vessels/details/9282479)), some people may find the idea of what flag the vessel sails under as old-fashioned or unnecessary. On the contrary, use of a flag of convenience has previously created a large margin of security for vessels operating on the fringe of „acceptable“ behavior. The latest actions by the US in seizing 5 tankers under various flags that don’t reflect actual ownership or loyalty may challenge the international practice of using deceitful ship registration for nefarious purposes. Sao Tome & Principe, for example, *is not* going to go to bat with the US over a foreign owned ship that happens to use ST&P as it’s ship registry.

Would reducing (or making it more risky) the use of flags of convenience be a generally good thing for global peace and prosperity?

Should countries that allow their flag to fly over such dubious vessels be held accountable (looking at you Eswatini, a land locked country that is used as a flag of convenience)?