The Government of Country St. Maarten, through the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications, is issuing an official statement regarding the alarming and persistent issue of fraudulent seafarer credentials and vessel registration documents being falsely issued under the guise of St. Maarten’s authority.
Since September 22, 2020, the Ministry was first alerted by a concerned seafarer from India
who questioned the authenticity of his certification after experiencing difficulties verifying its
legitimacy. This prompted an immediate internal investigation by our Maritime Affairs office.
Within 24 hours, a formal notification was sent to the Government of the Netherlands. As
advised, we promptly contacted both the Caribbean Memorandum of Understanding
(CMOU) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
The CMOU, along with the IMO’s regional representatives in the Caribbean, played an
instrumental role in disseminating critical information to MOU member states and flag states
around the world regarding the fraudulent documentation.
The investigation identified that fraudulent certificates and documents were being issued through
entities operating under domain names such as:
https://www.msta-registry.com
https://ims-registry.org/vessel-registration
These organizations falsely claim authorization from or association with Country St. Maarten.
With the collaborative support of the Kingdom Maritime Administration—an entity
established within the Kingdom of the Netherlands to coordinate maritime regulatory matters
between Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten, the Netherlands, and the BES islands—a formal statement
was drafted and submitted to the IMO. This statement was published on the Global Integrated
Shipping Information System (GISIS) platform, emphasizing that Country St. Maarten does
not operate an international flag registry, nor does it issue STCW Certificates of
Competency, Seafarer Books, Ship Certificates, or any related documents for conventional
vessels (vessels exceeding 500 Gross Tons).
Following these actions, the Netherlands escalated the matter by initiating contact with U.S.
intelligence authorities. A virtual meeting was swiftly convened, after which U.S. authorities
confirmed that the MSTA Registry had fraudulent links to St. Maarten, Belize, and California
(USA).
Most recently, the Netherlands, in coordination with St. Maarten’s Maritime Affairs office,
submitted an official notification on fraudulent activities to the IMO, reaffirming the
following:
Country St. Maarten is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the
Netherlands.
St. Maarten does not authorize or recognize any private individual, company,
Classification Society, country, or third party to issue maritime documents or
credentials on its behalf.
Any documentation purporting to originate from or be authorized by Country St.
Maarten is fraudulent unless issued directly by our competent authority.
The Ministry deeply regrets the losses incurred by innocent seafarers who, through no fault of
their own, have been misled and financially harmed by these deceptive operations. We are
committed to pursuing every legal avenue and collaborating with international partners to
eradicate these fraudulent activities and seek justice against those responsible.
We reiterate that Country St. Maarten maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward maritime
fraud. Our government will continue to take decisive action—both nationally and
internationally—to uphold the integrity of our maritime sector and that of the broader Kingdom
of the Netherlands.
We urge all seafarers, employers, and maritime stakeholders to verify credentials through official
channels and contact our Maritime Affairs Office with any doubts or queries.
“Our integrity is not for sale, and our flag will not be misused.”