If your ship sails under the flag of country X, then it is generally country X's navy that has the authority to keep you in line in international waters. So pick a country like the Bahamas (where the ship in the story was flagged) whose navy rarely leaves their territorial waters, and you can literally get away with murder.
If your ship sails under the flag of country X, then it is generally country X's navy that has the authority to keep you in line in international waters. So pick a country like the Bahamas (where the ship in the story was flagged) whose navy rarely leaves their territorial waters, and you can literally get away with murder.