Some EU countries believe the country under whose flag the ship is flying must agree to the inspection, something that could significantly undercut the measure's effectiveness.

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The U.S. Coast Guard makes at least one annual safety inspection of ships operating in U.S. waters, regardless of the flag a ship flies, said a coast guard spokesman.

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The ship has been flying a Curacao flag, but it will be switched to a Russian flag "in order to avoid a possible detention of the ship, " the state-run Itar-Tass news agency reported.

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Washington wanted to see the ship carry the flag around the globe, and to forge new ties with nations like China.

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The United States and the flag state of the seized ship would have input into the selection of some of these arbitrators.

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Is it the oil industry, the ship builders, the flag issuers or the insurers who issue the policies?

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Italian authorities are heading the investigation into the Costa Concordia accident, because the ship was flying under the Italian flag.

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Today the ship, which was sailing under a Cypriot flag, is docked in the Port of Limassol.

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" Adds Liu Bo, a former Microsoft business director in China who jumped ship to run a competing software firm, Beijing-based Red Flag Software: "Windows is a good product.

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