The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) has welcomed United States sanctions against an India-based couple accused of helping operate a network that fraudulently registered vessels under Guyana’s flag.
Read the statement issued by MARAD below:
The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), an agency within the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, welcomes the sanctions imposed by the United States Department of the Treasury against India-based Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, for their involvement in a criminal network responsible for perpetuating maritime fraud against Guyana and several other nations.
Sharma and Shahid are instrumental in managing a network that fraudulently represented vessels as being registered in Guyana through a company namedof thefraudulent International Maritime Safety Agency of Guyana (IMSAG), thereby facilitating the unauthorised use of the Guyana flag. Such fraudulent activities undermine the integrity of national ship registries and compromise maritime security.
The Government of Guyana remains resolute in its efforts to detect, prevent, and eliminate the fraudulent use of its national flag. This matter has been consistently raised at international and regional maritime and shipping forums as part of Guyana’s sustained advocacy for stronger cooperation and more effective measures to combat fraudulent vessel registration.
In July 2026, at the Global Maritime Security and Sanctions Enforcement Symposium hosted in Antigua and Barbuda, the Honourable Deodat Indar, Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation, presented a case study titled Fraudulent Registration: Guyana’s Perspective, highlighting the nature and implications of fraudulent registration and the measures being pursued by Guyana to address the problem. The issue was again reinforced at the recently concluded 56th Annual General Meeting of the Caribbean Shipping Association, hosted in Guyana.
MARAD, and the Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, fully supports the actions taken by the United States Department of the Treasury against Suniel Kumar Sharma, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, and their identified associated entities.
Guyana remains committed to collaborating with international partners, maritime administrations, and relevant enforcement agencies to safeguard the integrity of its ship registry, uphold international maritime standards, and ensure that its national flag is not exploited to facilitate criminal activity or circumvent international sanctions.
