The Maritime Administration Department (MARAD), an agency within Ministry of Public Utilities and Aviation, has welcomed sanctions imposed by the United States Department of the Treasury against India-based Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, over their involvement in a network responsible for maritime fraud targeting Guyana and several other countries.
According to MARAD, Sharma and Shahid played instrumental roles in managing a network that falsely represented vessels as registered in Guyana through a company operating under the name International Maritime Safety Agency of Guyana (IMSAG). The department said the operation facilitated the unauthorised use of Guyana’s national flag, undermining the integrity of ship registries and compromising maritime security.
The Government of Guyana has reiterated its determination to detect, prevent and eliminate the fraudulent use of its flag. It has consistently raised the issue at international and regional maritime and shipping forums, advocating stronger cooperation and more effective measures to combat fraudulent vessel registration.
According to the statement , in July 2026, Minister of Public Utilities and Aviation Deodat Indar presented a case study titled “Fraudulent Registration: Guyana’s Perspective” at the Global Maritime Security and Sanctions Enforcement Symposium in Antigua and Barbuda.
The presentation highlighted the nature and implications of fraudulent registration, alongside measures Guyana is pursuing to address the problem. Guyana reinforced those concerns 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 expressed their full support for the US Treasury’s actions against Sharma, Shahid and their identified associated entities.
The department reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to working with international partners, other maritime administrations and relevant enforcement agencies to protect the integrity of its ship registry and uphold international maritime standards.
It said those efforts are intended to ensure that Guyana’s national flag is not exploited to facilitate criminal activity or circumvent international sanctions.
