Editing Marshall Islands (section)

=== Shipping===
The Marshall Islands plays a vital role in the international shipping industry as a [[flag of convenience]] for commercial vessels.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/business/international/marshall-islands-shipping-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html |title=Marshall Islands, the Flag for Many Ships, Seeks to Rein In Emissions |last=Galbraith |first=Kate |date=June 3, 2015 |work=The New York Times |access-date=January 3, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104014023/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/business/international/marshall-islands-shipping-greenhouse-gas-emissions.html |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref> The Marshallese registry began operations in 1990, and is managed through a joint venture with International Registries, Inc., a US-based corporation that has offices in major shipping centers worldwide.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://thelawreviews.co.uk/edition/the-shipping-law-review-edition-4/1144034/marshall-islands |title=Marshall Islands – The Shipping Law Review – Edition 4 |website=The Law Reviews |language=en |access-date=January 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104022404/http://thelawreviews.co.uk/edition/the-shipping-law-review-edition-4/1144034/marshall-islands |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> As of 2017, the Marshallese ship registry was the second largest in the world, after that of [[Panama]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/europe/marshall-islands-becomes-the-world-s-second-largest-ship-registry.html |title=Marshall Islands becomes the world's second largest ship registry |last=Hand |first=Marcus |date=March 22, 2017 |work=Seatrade Maritime News |access-date=January 3, 2018 |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815151641/http://www.seatrade-maritime.com/news/europe/marshall-islands-becomes-the-world-s-second-largest-ship-registry.html |archive-date=August 15, 2017 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

Unlike some flag countries, there is no requirement that a Marshallese flag vessel be owned by a Marshallese individual or corporation. Following the 2015 seizure of the ''[[MV Maersk Tigris]]'', the United States announced that its treaty obligation to defend the Marshall Islands did not extend to foreign-owned Marshallese flag vessels at sea.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/05/01/u-s-treaty-obligation-to-defend-marshall-islands-ships/ |title=U.S. treaty obligation to defend Marshall Islands ships |last=Kopel |first=David |date=May 1, 2015 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=January 3, 2018 |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104013825/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2015/05/01/u-s-treaty-obligation-to-defend-marshall-islands-ships/ |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |url-status=live |df=mdy-all}}</ref>

As a result of ship-to-ship transfers by Marshallese flag tanker vessels, the Marshall Islands have statistically been one of the largest importers of crude oil from the United States, despite the fact that the islands have no oil refining capacity.<ref>
{{Cite news |last=Gloystein |first=Henning |date=2016-08-12 |title=How the Marshall Islands became a top U.S. crude export destination |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/oil-marshall-islands/how-the-marshall-islands-became-a-top-u-s-crude-export-destination-idUSL8N1AT07P |url-status=live |department=Intel |work=[[Reuters]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104073406/https://www.reuters.com/article/oil-marshall-islands/how-the-marshall-islands-became-a-top-u-s-crude-export-destination-idUSL8N1AT07P |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |access-date=January 3, 2018 |df=mdy-all}}</ref>