ISO HK · White List (low risk)
Standard PSC regimeThe Hong Kong flag holds White List (low risk) placement across the two largest port state control regimes. Detention rates reflect the percentage of HK-flagged vessels detained out of all inspections at member-state ports over the most recent three-year window. White-list flags demonstrate consistently strong compliance with international maritime safety standards.
0 vessels in ArcNautical's screening index currently fly the Hong Kong flag and appear on at least one sanctions or watch list (OFAC SDN, EU, UN, UK, Belgium FOD, or RUSI DPRK reports).
| Vessel name | IMO | Programs |
|---|---|---|
| No vessels currently in our sanctions index fly the Hong Kong flag. | ||
Hong Kong (HK) is not subject to comprehensive country-level sanctions programs. Vessels flying this flag are screened individually against OFAC SDN, EU consolidated, UN Security Council, and UK HMT/OFSI sanctions lists.
The Hong Kong flag is white-listed on both MoUs (above), and rarely sanctioned — only 12 of 1,493 OFAC-designated vessels fly it. Hong Kong company incorporation is a separate question. As of 2026-06-04, 102 OFAC-designated vessels are linked by OFAC to a co-designated entity that OFAC records as registered in Hong Kong — across 72 distinct Hong Kong companies — yet only 2 of those 102 fly the Hong Kong flag. The exposure sits in the ownership chain, not the flag, and a flag check will not surface it.
| Sanctions program | Vessels with a HK-registered entity in the chain |
|---|---|
| Iran | 50 |
| Russia | 34 |
| Terror-finance / proliferation | 13 |
| Venezuela | 3 |
| North Korea (DPRK) | 2 |
Full methodology, the 72-entity dataset, and the reproducible figures are in the ArcNautical Hong Kong Ownership-Layer Brief →
Other flag states with similar Paris/Tokyo MoU placement: