Maritime Cook Islands (MCI), the Cook Islands Ship Registry, is seeking clarification regarding its abrupt removal from the Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) database. MCI was informed on May 8, 2025, that its access was revoked due to a “potential violation of the Terms and Conditions”.
The Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) was established in August 2019 pursuant to an MoU signed by the founding members, Liberia, Marshal Islands and Panama ship registries. The membership, which is voluntary, now includes Palau, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Honduras, Vanuatu, Dominica, Belize, Moldova and Antigua & Barbuda
The Cook Islands Ship Registry was among the first to join after the founding members and did so in May 2020 by signing a joinder MoU and committing to share information with other members.
RISC is a collaborative effort among the members aimed at combating illicit activities in global shipping and “flag hopping” to circumvent or avoid sanctions. RISC provides a secure online data base platform for members to share information on vessels and companies suspected of engaging in these practices. It helps members to stay informed about vessels’ backgrounds and potential sanctions violations, allowing them to take appropriate action.
The RISC database was launched and has been in operation since August 2024. It is one of many tools that MCI uses in conducting vetting and Customer Due Diligence.
MCI supports the aims and objectives of RISC and did so as recently as March this year in assisting the Cook Islands to co-sponsor a submission to the 112th session of the International Maritime Organisation Legal Committee (LEG 112/6/2). In the submission, and during discussions, the Cook Islands delegation highlighted the RISC compact as an industry best practice in information sharing that could benefit the Organisation (and the whole industry) if its use was to be fully exploited.
On 16 April 2025 MCI staff attempted to log onto the RISC database. Being unable to log on the staff member escalated the problem to the Registrar of Ships who reached out to the RISC support office for help. After a number of reminders from the Registrar, the RISC Databank Support team advised on 8 May 2025 that “it has been decided by the founding members to revoke your access to the database due to potential violation of the Terms and Conditions that was agreed upon at the time of registration.”
There were no “terms and conditions” discussed or agreed to at the time that MCI joined RISC other than the commitment to share information with other members. However, the aims and objective of RISC are clear and which, MCI observes.
MCI reached out to the founding members of RISC on 8 May 2025 and again on the 13th May and again on 21 May for clarification. MCI has not had a response from any of them.
In the absence of any reason for the decision “to revoke access to the database due to potential violation of the Terms and Conditions”, MCI is at a loss to understand what possible violation has been committed.
The founding members did not communicate with MCI before, and have not done so after, their decision although Lloyds List has been contacted by a “source with direct knowledge” that the Cook Islands has been removed from RISC. This is a denial of due process.
MCI also notes that Lloyds List reports that Liberia, Marshall Islands and Panama did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication and that MCI “did not respond to multiple requests for comment”. MCI received one request from Lloyds list for comment on 13 May 2025 but did not respond because MCI was endeavoring to obtain details of the potential violation and reasons for its removal from RISC as advised on 8 May 2025 and which MCI is yet to receive.
Source: Press Release