War,corruption, murder in Liberia fueled by revenues from companies wishing to register their vessels in Liberia & save $ & avoid regulations

The civil war and corruption in Liberia was fueled by US business, with revenues from shipping companies wishing to register their vessels in Liberia, responsible for keeping the Taylor Government in power, according to US press reports in 2003.
The Washington Post reported that the country's only source of money at the time was the Liberian International Ship and Corporate Registry (LISCR) in Vienna, Va., which sends at least $18 million a year - or about one-third of its own revenue - directly to the Liberian government.
LISCR sells cheap registration fees and low taxes to ship owners -- 30 percent to 40 percent of the Liberian government's income in 2002.

Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruise Lines operate cruise ships that were registered or flagged in Liberia. As recently as April 8, 2002 when ROYAL CARIBBEAN CRUISES LTD (RCL) filed Form 20-F with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the period ending December 31, 2001, a majority of their ships were registered in Liberia. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd and most of its many subsidiaries are still incorporated in Liberia per Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 24, 2006 for the year ending December 31, 2005. http://safecruise.blogspot.com/2006_04_01