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Seafarer Index
Belize flag

🇧🇿 Belize

ISO BLZ / BZ

Regulatory

MLC 2006
not-ratified
Paris MoU rating
grey
Tokyo MoU rating
grey
USCG Qualship 21
not listed
ITF FoC
not listed

Registry

Vessel count
600
Deadweight
4
Administration
Belize Port Authority / International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE)
File a complaint
Official form

Open registry with mixed compliance record

Compliance history

Country context

Population
422,924 (2025)
GDP per capita
$7,865 (2025)
Income group
Upper middle income
Region
Latin America & Caribbean

Source: World Bank Open Data.

What this means for seafarers

  • MLC 2006: This flag has not ratified MLC 2006. Port-state-control inspections still apply at MLC ports under "no more favourable treatment", but the flag itself issues no MLC certificate.
  • Port-state-control profile: intermediate performance — selective targeting. Read about PSC regimes →
  • STCW: Party to STCW. Verify a CoC issued under this flag at the administration.

See also: flag risk explained · MLC ratification list · white/grey/black lists.

Reference

  • III Code — the IMO flag-state audit scheme measuring implementation of IMO instruments.
  • Port state control — how Belize-flagged ships are inspected + detained in foreign ports.
  • Minimum safe manning — the SOLAS V/14 basis for Belize's manning documents.
  • Marine cyber incidents — case studies + the IACS UR E26/E27 cyber-resilience regime.
No vessels indexed under Belize yet. Try MarineTraffic vessels under BLZ.

Ports in Belize

All ports in Belize →

Belize flag: FAQ

Is the Belize flag safe for seafarers?
The Belize flag has weaker port-state-control ratings under one or both MoU regimes. It has not ratified MLC 2006, so MLC-based complaint routes are not directly available. Operators on weaker-rated flags are not always poor employers, but they face less external regulatory pressure.
Has Belize ratified the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC 2006)?
No — Belize has not ratified MLC 2006 as of the last update of this directory. Seafarers on Belize-flagged vessels still benefit from MLC indirectly when calling at MLC-ratified ports (port state may inspect the vessel) but cannot lodge a direct convention-based complaint against the flag administration.
How do I file a complaint against a Belize-flagged vessel or operator?
Complaints can be lodged with the Belize Port Authority / International Merchant Marine Registry of Belize (IMMARBE) via their official complaint procedure. Without MLC ratification, the principal route is direct to the flag administration. The ITF and seafarer welfare organisations may still be able to help with operator-level disputes. Keep contract, wage records, and seaman's book ready.
What port-state-control rating does Belize have?
Paris MoU rating: grey. Tokyo MoU rating: grey. PSC ratings classify flags by inspection and detention history. White / low-risk flags face fewer PSC inspections; black / high-risk flags face more frequent inspection and a higher detention rate.
Is Belize on the ITF Flag of Convenience (FoC) list?
No — Belize is not currently on the ITF Flag of Convenience list. Seafarers retain general ITF-channel access for advocacy and abandonment response regardless of FoC status.

Compare Belize with another flag

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High confidence

Editorial confidence: how we grade. Data sources and methodology: /sources.

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