A
merchant vessel
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are us ...
flies a
flag
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
, typically at its stern. This flag indicates the legal jurisdiction to which it is subject. For example, a vessel may fly this flag of the Greece; in this case the authority responsible for enforcing maritime regulations would be the Flag Administration of Greece.
Law of the sea
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