Gabon has taken direct control of its international ship registry following the termination of its management agreement with Intershipping Services LLC, marking an important step towards strengthening national oversight of its maritime sector.
The decision, approved during a Council of Ministers meeting in April 2026, was formally communicated to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) through Gabon’s High Commission to the United Kingdom. Under the new arrangement, responsibility for managing the country’s ship registry has been transferred to the Directorate General of the Merchant Marine and the Ship Registration Office in Libreville on a transitional basis.
The move follows international sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United Kingdom on UAE-based Intershipping Services in 2025. The company had managed Gabon’s International Ship Registry since 2018 and also administered the Comoros registry. The sanctions were linked to allegations that the company facilitated the registration of vessels associated with Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.
By assuming direct control of its registry, Gabon is seeking to strengthen governance, improve regulatory oversight and reinforce the credibility of its maritime administration. The development also reflects a broader trend among African coastal states to enhance national management of strategic maritime assets while aligning with international shipping standards.
For Africa’s growing maritime and logistics sector, stronger national control over ship registries is expected to improve transparency, support regulatory compliance and enhance the continent’s reputation within global shipping markets. As investment in ports, maritime trade and the blue economy continues to expand across Africa, effective governance of national ship registries will remain an important component of sustainable maritime development.
