MARITIME EXPERT HOBSON: ST. KITTS-NEVIS HAS LEGAL RIGHT TO FLY ITS FLAG DESPITE BLACK SEA BOMBING—BUT LACK OF NATIONAL STRATEGY COSTING MILLIONS*

UNCLOS CONFERS CLEAR LEGAL AUTHORITYHobson grounded his argument squarely in international law, noting that St. Kitts and Nevis is a party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Crucially, he stressed that ships registered under the St. Kitts and Nevis flag are not restricted to specific trading routes. This, he explained, is standard practice across the international maritime industry. Under accepted maritime practice, ship owners and captains are required to conduct comprehensive risk assessments before entering conflict zones and to implement appropriate risk mitigation measures. Instead, he lamented, while millions have been generated from vessels flying the St. Kitts and Nevis flag, the Federation continues to receive “crumbs,” with the bulk of financial benefits flowing to overseas partners rather than the national treasury.