Vanuatu Flag Vessels
215 vessels registered under the Vanuatu flag
Vanuatu Maritime Fleet Overview
Vanuatu has 215 registered vessels tracked on MarineRadar. The fleet primarily consists of Cargo (80), Other (59), Fishing (22), Tug (19) and Unknown (13). Track all Vanuatu-flagged ships with live AIS positions and real-time maritime data.
About the Vanuatu Flag
Registry Authority
The Vanuatu flag is administered by the Vanuatu Maritime Services Limited on behalf of the Office of the Maritime Regulator. It is a long-established open registry that has historically focused on smaller vessel segments and yachts.
Why Ships Register in Vanuatu
Vanuatu offers low registration costs, no nationality restriction on crew, no taxation on shipping income, and historically reasonable Port State Control performance — though the flag has at times slipped from white-list status. The registry is particularly accessible to smaller owners and to ships built or trading outside the major Western shipping centres.
Notable Operators
The Vanuatu flag is heavily used by smaller Asian fishing companies — the country has long been a flag of choice for Taiwanese, Korean, and Chinese-controlled distant-water tuna and squid fleets — alongside small tankers, general-cargo ships, and yachts.
Trade Routes
Vanuatu-flagged ships are concentrated on Pacific and Indian Ocean tuna and squid fishing, Asian and West African coastal cargo trades, and Caribbean and Pacific yacht charter routes. The flag is rare on long-haul liner or major bulk and tanker trades.
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