Zanzibar confirms registering foreign tankers
The Zanzibar government yesterday confirmed it had registered 11 oil tanker companies which were formerly registered in Malta and Cyprus and accused the media of misleading the public, The Citizen reports.
Earlier this week some newspapers, including The Citizen, published reports that an Iranian oil tanker company had renamed at least 10 of its vessels and replaced their flags with Tanzanian ones, news that sent shockwaves through the country’s leadership.
A statement read by Zanzibar minister for Infrastructure and Communication Hamad Masoud Hamad yesterday to the House of Representatives said owners of the eleven companies were nationals of British Virgin Islands and Seychelles.
He named the ships as Daisy with a gross register tonnage (GRT) of 81479 registered in Malta, Justice (GRT 164241) registered in Cyprus, Magnolia (GRT 81479) also formerly registered in Malta.
Other ships are Courage (GRT 163660) owned by Courage Shipping Co. Ltd, Freedom (GRT 163660) also owned by Freedom shipping Co. Ltd, Valor (GRT 160930) owned by Valor Shipping Co. Ltd and Leadership (GRT 164241) owned by Leadership Shipping Co. Ltd. All these were formerly registered in Cyprus.
Mr Hamad also named Companion (GRT 164241) owned by Companion Shipping Co. Ltd, Camellia (GRT 81479) owned by Camellia Shipping Co. Ltd, Clove (GRT 81479) owned by Clove Shipping Co. Ltd and Lantana (GRT 81479) owned by Lantana Shipping Co. Ltd, all were formerly registered in Malta.
The minister quoted the Zanzibar Maritime Transport Act 2006, Section 8, which states that there will be establishment of a Tanzania Zanzibar International Register of Shipping for ocean going ships; and Tanzania Zanzibar Register of Shipping for coastal ships to justify the registration.
However, the story published earlier by this paper did not put the legality of the registration of such ships in Zanzibar into question whatsoever.
Quoting the Equasis Shipping Database maintained by the European Commission, the report pointed out that ownership of the ships was switched from NITC to new companies operating from the same address in Tehran. NITC remains the operator, though. All the ships were previously registered in Malta or Cyprus.
This development comes a few days before a full European embargo on Iranian crude exports, which starts next Monday, and is extended to insuring vessels that carry the oil. Some 25 NITC tankers are being used to store crude, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said. The US and Europe plan to impose the embargo on Iranian crude oil export amid fears that the Iran nuclear programme is aimed at developing atomic weapons.
However, Mr Hamad said that deregistration of ships was not a new thing, adding that other 20 oil tankers from European countries have also deregistered and acquired registration at Tuvalu Islands.
“ZMA asked its agent, Philtex Corporation from Dubai, to ask the owners of the deregistered ships about their relationship with the Iranian government….our agent met the owners on Thursday and they declared that they did not have any relationship with any Iranian authority,” the minister noted.
He added that shipping line owners have also declared that if Zanzibar Maritime Authority was not willing to respect the registration of their ships they would consider holding discussions with other open registry bodies in Panama.
“They have no plans of returning to their earlier place of registration-Malta and Cyprus,” he said.