The government of Tuvalu has sent a letter to the secretary general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in which it stated that a fraudulent website was offering shipping registry services on behalf of the island nation.
The letter, received by the IMO last week, warned that the Tuvalu Ships Registry was not managed by Samuelu Telavi as per the claims on the fraudulent website.
The government added that he was “neither the director of the Marine and Port Services of the Tuvalu Government” nor that he was residing in Tuvalu and that the website was an “attempt to commit fraudulent activities.”
“The Tuvalu Ships Registry is currently managed by the CCMA Pte Ltd based in Singapore. Therefore, any claim from anyone apart from CCMA Pte Ltd is an attempt to commit fraud,” the letter said.
Vavau Fatuuga, the secretary of the Ministry of Transportation, Energy, and Tourism of Tuvalu, requested in the letter that the IMO continue working with CCMA on issues related to the country’s ship registry until the government confirms any change in writing.
