Under international law, it is the responsibility of the state whose flag vessels fly to ensure that they abide by the relevant rules and regulations; for example, conservation measures, safety and labour standards, etc.
Ifølge international lov påhviler ansvaret for at sikre, at de overholder de gældende regler, f.eks. bestemmelser om bevarelse, sikkerhed og arbejdsforhold osv., det land, hvis flag fartøjerne fører.