PANAMA CITY, March 18 (Reuters) – Panama’s maritime authority said on Monday it has no knowledge of ships owned by Iranians being in its registry, following concerns from U.S. authorities on the matter.
The United States asked Panama last week to ban Iranian vessels sanctioned by Washington from using its flag, as officials looked into the possibility that Panamanian-flagged vessels were used to transport Iranian oil.
Panama said it has not received formal requests to cancel registries since 2020.
The Central American country has the largest ship registry in the world, with more than 8,000 vessels sailing with its flag.
It provides so-called “flags of convenience” that allow ship owners to register their vessels in a country to which they have no link in exchange for a fee and freedom from oversight.
(Reporting by Elida Moreno; Editing by Sarah Morland)
(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024.
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The cost of shipping oil in the largest tankers hit record highs this week following the biggest wave of attacks on shipping since the U.S.-Iran war began in late February.
Vessel transits via the Strait of Hormuz fell on Wednesday to seven from 12 the previous day, preliminary ship-tracking data showed on Thursday, with levels also below the 10-day average of 14.
Four commodity vessels transited the key waterway of the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, down from nine a day earlier and well below the 10-day average tally of about 15, preliminary shipping data showed.
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