In january 2013, a new historical re record share of 73 percent of the world fleet was "flagged out", that is, the nationality of the vessel's was registered . in other words, for almost three out of every four dwt.shipowners chose a flag different from their own nationality. the remaining 27 percent are kept under the national flag because either the owner considered the national flag competitive terms of costs and services provided,or he may not have had a choice, as is often the for government cargo and cabotage traffic