On Tuesday, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) called on Tanzania to immediately investigate and clarify its actions regarding the reflagging of National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) vessels.
While Tanzania stated in August 2012 that it would de-register Iranian ships, reports indicate that NITC vessels have recently been reflagged in Tanzania, including a report from yesterday that the Baikal, an Iranian tanker, arrived on the Greek Island of Syros flying the Tanzanian flag.
Research shows that Baikal is involved in a fraudulent ownership and insurance scheme. The vessel is operating under the Tanzanian flag despite being owned by the NITC and insured by Kish P&I, which operates as a regime-backed P&I club that exists solely to service the NITC.
UANI calls on Tanzania to immediately state whether it has stopped reflagging Iranian ships, and either stop doing so or act with diligence to prevent Iranian vessels from continuing to sail the seas with Tanzanian flags.
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UANI, November 28, 2012