Vessels sailing under the Honduras Country Flag are required to have on board this flag as part of flag state requirements that derive from maritime regulations in the International Code of Signals and the International Safety Management (ISM) Code. These codes are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as an ongoing effort to reinforce maritime safety procedures and communications to the international maritime community. Fleet management companies and ship owners are responsible to ensure that each vessel in their respective fleets have the appropriate flag signage onboard to be in compliance. This flag is used to identify the flag state a vessel is sailing under and to communicate with other vessels under the provisions of the International Code of Signals.
The Honduras Country Flag is represented by three, equally proportioned horizontal stripes. These are colored blue, white and blue from top to bottom. Five, five pointed stars reside in the center of the flag, one directly in the center with two placed toward the hoist, or left of it, one of these directly above the other. The other two stars, one directly above the other are offset from the central star toward the fly, or right side. The stars are colored blue. The depiction of stars fills a space encompassing half the length of the flag, set squarely within the white stripe. The Honduras Country Flag was officially adopted in 1866, making it one of the most historic, unchanged national symbols in the world. It is designated to hold a proportional ratio of 1:2, height to length, respectively. The two blue stripes are meant to represent the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The blue stars refer to the former association, abandoned in 1938, between Honduras and four other Central American states titled the United States Of Central America.