🚢 To change registration 💾 To reset status

to reflag

1 7.9

To register a ship in a different country

verb
/ˌriːˈflæɡ/

Formal

: rebanderar

But it was only in 1987, when the U.S. Navy launched Operation Earnest Will to reflag Kuwaiti tankers traversing the Strait of Hormuz, that the United States used direct military force to protect the Gulf.

Examples

After the takeover, the company decided to reflag the vessels under a new national registry.
Historically, neutral countries and countries concerned with free maritime traffic have tended to band together, reflag ships, provide escorts, and place great pressure on the disruptive countries.

Academic text (2007)
The government plans to reflag several commercial ships to enhance security in international waters.
In an effort to support local businesses, the alliance will reflag ships previously registered under foreign flags.

Synonyms

to reregister

vsto reflag

1 3.9

To sign up again on an official list like for a car or membership

is specific to changing a ship's country or marking something again with a flag

Surface Forms

reflag infinitive

reflagged past

reflagged past participle

reflagging present participle

reflags third person singular

Morphology

reflag = flag (semi-transparent) = re + flag

The structure 're-' + 'flag' is clear, but the maritime sense 'assign a new country of registration to a ship' is more specialized than a simple literal 'flag again' reading.

Etymology

Reflag comes from the part re- meaning 'again' and flag meaning 'a piece of cloth used as a country's sign'. So to reflag a ship is to give it a new country label, like putting a new flag on it.