flag of convenience

American  

noun

1. the foreign flag under which merchant ships register in order to save on taxes or wages, or to avoid government regulations.

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flag of convenience British  

noun

1. a national flag flown by a ship registered in that country to gain financial or legal advantage

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Etymology

Origin of flag of convenience

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

A shadow tanker often uses a “flag of convenience” provided by smaller, non-Western nations such as Gabon, Comoros or Cameroon.

From The Wall Street Journal

ITF data shows that in 2024, around 90% of the abandoned vessels sailed under a flag of convenience.

From BBC

Among them: choosing a “flag of convenience and a ship register for a vessel,” in Malta, Cyprus, Panama, Belize and other countries.

From Seattle Times

It has since been renamed Rima and swapped its flag of convenience from Dominica to Iran - meaning it now falls under Iranian jurisdiction.

From BBC

Most athletes who defected competed under a kind of flag of convenience – traveling to the Summer Games from eastern Europe with a plan to head west.

From Seattle Times