Panama City (NNI) The Maritime Transport Authority in Panama has said that Panama will remove its flag from more ships that violate international sanctions and laws. During the past few months, about 60 ships from Iran and Syria have been removed from Panama’s list. 59 of them were given the green signal to delete the registration.

Panama’s decision to remove flags from more ships

Present this Progress followed Washington’s re-sanctions on Iran in 2018. According to the sources, most of these ships were owned by companies operating in Iran. However, they also included Syrian shipping vessels. In early July, a large oil carrier (Grace 1) arrived in the area of ​​Jabal Tariq, where it was detained by the British Navy. The ship is suspected of violating sanctions against Syria. Authorities in Jabal Tariq reported that the oil carrier was carrying the oil to its full potential, allegedly flowing toward Syrian Banis Refinery.

Panama’s decision to remove flags from more ships

When the oil carrier arrived at Jabal Tariq, it had a registered name in Panama. However, the Panama government later said it had deleted the ship from its registry list on May 29. Rafael Cesarvista, the director of commercial maritime transport in Panama, said in an emailed statement to Reuters. Panama will continue its flag removal policy. He added that our goal is to improve the proportion of our fleet in accordance with the international sanctions system and maritime security regulations.