FMC May Probe Ship Registries That Aren't Deleting Shadow-Fleet Vessels
Federal Maritime Commission Chairman Louis Sola this week applauded the Panama Maritime Authority for recently removing from its registry more than 100 vessels sanctioned by the U.S. and other governments, saying the move is helping to pressure Iran and other nations operating so-called shadow fleets. He also said the FMC may investigate other registries that haven’t removed those ships.
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Sola said that about 60% of the Iran-linked shadow fleet -- which typically includes older ships with false registrations that move sanctioned goods -- was previously registered in Panama, but the “commendable efforts of [the Panama Maritime Authority] have reduced that total to approximately 17%.” He said those vessels “must not find refuge under another flag.”
Sola also called out the International Maritime Organization for a “lack of urgency and commitment ... toward achieving this goal." He said the IMO’s stated mission is to promote “safe, secure, environmentally sound, efficient and sustainable shipping through cooperation,” and shadow fleet vessels undermine that mission. The IMO’s “failure to lead has created a void that must be filled,” he said.
The FMC can probe nations with laws or practices that create “unfavorable shipping conditions,” Sola said, adding that he has tasked FMC staff “with identifying options on how to address the role flags of convenience play in enabling avoidance of sanctions. Registries hosting outlaw vessels used by reprehensible regimes to facilitate their evasion of international regulations would certainly qualify as conduct warranting the Commission’s attention and action.”