Captain Sharma's Maritime Deception Network: False Flags, Fraudulent Papers, and Global Incidents

A shipwreck in India, an ammunition seizure in Senegal, and a raid on an oil tanker in Malaysia – all three incidents involve ageing vessels operating with false papers and one recurring figure: Captain Suniel Kumar Sharma. For over a decade, Sharma has been condemned by the governments of Dominica, Guyana, Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, and Eswatini, as well as the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO), for issuing fraudulent paperwork to vessels, including false flag certificates. In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Sharma claimed his most prominent flag registry, the International Maritime Safety Agency of Guyana (IMSAG), was no longer operational. However, a Bellingcat investigation found certificates issued by IMSAG as recently as December 2025. In the same interview, Sharma denied setting up any more registries. Yet Bellingcat has found evidence of a newly launched website linked to Sharma offering flag registration in Nicaragua. In June 2020, a typhoon off the Indian coast forced the 38-year-old oil tanker, MT Basra Star (IMO 8515817), to run aground. Despite an insurance inspector’s report recommending her immediate demolition, the vessel remained for five years, rusting away on the beach, until she was finally scrapped in January this year. The Basra Star became a local tourist attraction during the five years it lay rusting on the beach. The insurance report states Basra Star was sailing under a flag of convenience from one of Sharma's registries, highlighting the systemic risks posed by this network of fraudulent maritime documentation.