October 04-2013
Tanzania has asked Iran to ensure its oil tankers do not identify themselves as Tanzanian nearly a year after the east African country says it de-registered all Iranian vessels flying its national flag.
The maritime authority in Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania, said it was concerned Iranian tankers appear to still be using Tanzania’s call sign as a prefix to their signal that identifies a ship and its location.
Zanzibar launched an investigation in July last year into accusations it had re-flagged 36 Iranian tankers. It concluded that a Dubai-based shipping agent had registered the vessels to fly the Tanzanian flag without its knowledge. Zanzibar says it then de-registered the vessels.
Last Wednesday, Abdi Omar Maalim, director general of the Zanzibar Maritime Authority, said Zanzibar had written Iran’s Embassy after receiving reports Iran’s vessels were still showing on tracking systems as Tanzanian-flagged.
He added Zanzibar did not have its own evidence.
“The Zanzibar Ministry of Infrastructure and Communications has written a letter to the Iranian embassy in Tanzania to ask the Iranian government to tell its ships to stop using Tanzania’s call sign,” Maalim told Reuters.
Reflagging ships masks their ownership, which could make it easier for Iran to obtain insurance and financing for the cargoes, as well as to find buyers for the shipments without attracting attention from the United States and European Union.
