Ships Are Flying False Flags to Dodge Sanctions
Illegal Russian tankers are a maritime nightmare.　01/30/23（FOREIGN POLICY）

Elisabeth Braw

By Elisabeth Braw, a columnist at Foreign Policy and a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. FP subscribers can now receive alerts when new stories written by this author are published

The world’s top three ship-owning countries are China, Greece, and Japan. But the top three countries under which ships sail include none of these—nor fourth-ranked United States or fifth-ranked Germany. The flag league is instead led by Panama, Liberia, and the Marshall Islands. They are flag-of-convenience states, economically weak countries that allow vessels to register in their ship registry for a much lower fee than developed countries. The lower fee comes with less service—and less scrutiny—than traditional maritime states offer. Although the former has made flag-of-convenience states popular with countless vessels over the past decades, the latter is now making them extremely attractive to vessels seeking to get around Western sanctions against Russia. Such vessels have begun switching to flag-of-convenience states—or even taken to sailing under their flag without telling them.

And these overburdened maritime nations do little to remove the squatters. Rickety tankers that should be headed for the junkyard are instead roaming the world’s oceans, bringing oil from Russia and its fellow sanctioned nations, Venezuela and Iran, to China and other customers. And it’ll take a major crisis to force the problem to the surface.

“Shipping companies that are trying to get around sanctions are targeting really small registries that are privately managed,” Lloyd’s List Intelligence maritime analyst Michelle Wiese Bockmann told Foreign Policy. “Then they either falsely claim that their ships are flagged there because the country will do nothing about it, or they legitimately flag the vessels there and get the country to issue false company IMO numbers,” referring to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Every shipping company has an identification number with the IMO. But if a shipping company or vessel doesn’t want to be recognized, then they can trick a flag state’s registry into using fake IMO numbers—and since flag-of-convenience states’shipping registries are often poorly resourced, privately managed, or both, officials rarely spend serious time investigating IMO numbers. And shipping companies operating under a false IMO number can be traced only with extreme difficulty.

Shifting registries to avoid sanctions has been going on for a decade or so, ever since Iran’s state-owned oil company discovered that it could get around restrictions on its oil by having its shipping companies register their vessels with twin registries maintained by Tanzania and Zanzibar. (Zanzibar is now part of Tanzania, but the registries date back to the days when it was an independent state.)

Parking the Iranian tankers in the Tanzania-Zanzibar registry wasn’t exactly legitimate, since ships are not supposed to change flags simply to get around sanctions, but as Bockmann points out, “It was done with the knowledge of the privately owned company that manages the Tanzania-Zanzibar registry.” In fact, by registering its vessels in Tanzania-Zanzibar, Iran managed to continue exporting oil. Although traditional maritime states, such as Britain and Greece, comply with sanctions on goods that travel by sea, flag-of-convenience states are often laissez-faire regarding both vessels and cargo. And the world doesn’t have a maritime authority that can track every single vessel, especially if it changes its flag registrati

Malaysia: Four ships under arrest for Illegal bunker fuel transfer　01/11/23（SAFETY4SEA）

by The Editorial Team

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) detained four ships in Johor waters, on January 9, for illegal activities, including anchoring without permission and transferring oil illegally.

According to Johor MMEA director Maritime First Admiral Nurul Hizam Zakaria, the vessels are suspected of illegally transferring oil at a position of 32 nautical miles east of Tanjung Sedili Besar in Kota Tinggi.

For the offence of illegal oil transfers, 7,000 metric tonnes of Marine Fuel Oil (MFO) worth RM24.5 million were seized for investigation.

The first case was conducted between 10.50am and 11.30am by the agency’s marine patrol boat team on two tankers registered in Penang and Panama.

The second case occurred at 11.40am where a merchant ship from Douglas, Australia was detained at a position of 11.9 nautical miles east of Tanjung Siang.

The last case involved a tanker registered in Zanzibar, Tanzania and was manned by five Indonesian crew members, aged between 26 and 60, when they were detained at 4.14pm.

The detention of the third and fourth vessels was due to anchoring without permission and all crew members, including the respective vessel’s captains, were taken to the MMEA’s Tanjung Sedili Maritime Zone for further investigation.

North Korea Ships Engage In Nationality Laundering, Says South Korea 11/21/22 (MaritimeFairtrade)

Key Issues, North Korea, Shipping
By Sunny Um

A North Korea-flagged ship, Wol Bong San, previously accused of illegal transshipment, was spotted near the Busan Port and the authority identified nine GPS signals over three hours on October 25, 2021. However, the South Korean government was not aware it was a blacklisted ship until the annual parliamentary inspection last month.

Rep. Hong Moon-pyo from the ruling People Power Party, who requested data on North Korea-flagged ships from the government, said the fact that the authority did not know about the blacklisted ship entering South Korean waters implied a “serious threat” to the country’s maritime security.

Wol Bong San was caught transporting sanctioned oil to the Nampo Port, North Korea in September 2020. North Korea is under global sanction by the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2397. The whereabout of the vessel is currently unknown, and its last known location is traced back to the Busan Port last October.

Replying to Hong, the Korea Coast Guard first said it could not know of the ship’s identity because it was not recorded on the port’s the arrival and departure system but later, the Coast Guard claimed the detected GPS signals were inaccurate.

Hong said Wol Bong San was not the only North Korean vessel spotted around the country’s ports. Since 2018, there were 10 ships allegedly owned by North Korea that went through South Korean ports, including Wol Bong San. These ships were either North Korea-flagged or ships once owned by South Korea but now reflagged to other countries.

Out of the 10 ships, six changed their flags from South Korea to North Korea once they departed from South Korean ports. Five of them came through the Busan Port, changed their nationalities to Sierra Leone or Palau, and then sailed to the South China Sea or the international waters near North Korea. Those ships were later found at the Nampo Port in North Korea or caught while transshipping fuel and other containers bound for North Korea.

Hong said if North Korea-flagged ships continue to enter and change their nationalities at South Korean ports, the government will be accused of not complying with the UN Security Council Resolution 2397, since Article 7 required all member states to “prohibit the direct or indirect supply sale or transfer” to North Korea, using vehicles, including “their flag vessels”.

“Under our very eyes, illegal transfers of ownerships of vessels happened in our ports, which were once known to be very secure, but are now laundromats for nationality,” Hong said.

There were cases of North Korean ships found with flags of different countries in the past, too. For example, in 2016, reports said North Korea reflagged more than 50 ships, and 15 percent of them were disguised as Tanzania-flagged ships. In 2018, the Trust Company of the Marshall Islands, the maritime administrator of the country, canceled the registration of a local company whose ship was involved in the transshipment of oil to North Korea.

One reason that explained the frenzied reflagging was the economic difficulties caused by the international sanctions. North Korea’s Sanction Damage Analysis Committee said in 2017 the country was experiencing “immeasurable loss” and called the sanctions an “evil crime”. To overcome sanctions, North Korean ships reflagged to different nationalities and buy or sell resources through mass transshipment.

In 2021, the Royal United Services Institute, a research institute based in the United Kingdom, pointed out the sanctions against North Korea were not effective due to “lax enforcement”, meaning the UN member states were not complying with the regulations, and instead, provided opportunities for the country to avoid them. The institute also recommended member states to monitor illegal activities of North Korea more rigorously.

Rep. Hong also urged the ports, the Korea Coast Guard, and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries to provide “continuous, systematic responsive measures” in monitoring North Korea to comply with international regulations.

クリミア沖で貨物船2隻が炎上　少なくとも11人死亡　01/22/19（BBC NEWWS JAPAN）

ウクライナ南部クリミア半島沖の、黒海とアゾフ海を結ぶケルチ海峡近くで21日、タンザニア船籍の貨物船2隻が絡む爆発・炎上事故が発生した。当局は、これまでに少なくとも11人の死亡が確認されたと発表している。

貨物船「キャンディ」（別名ヴェニス）にはトルコとインド出身の乗員17人が、もう一方の貨物船「マエストロ」には14人が乗船していた。

貨物船の1隻は、ガス燃料を積んでいた。爆発が起きた直後に火災が発生し、もう1隻に燃え移ったと報じられている。

ロシア連邦海洋河川輸送局のアレクセイ・クラフチェンコ報道官によると、最初の出火は、1隻からもう1隻へ燃料の移し変えを行っている最中に起き、複数の乗組員が海に飛び込んだ。

ロシアの救助隊が、船外に避難したタンザニア船籍の乗組員の救助活動を進め、これまでに14人が救助された。

報道によると、ロシアの救助隊が海中でもがく3人を目撃したというが、死亡した可能性が高いという。

AFP通信は、それぞれの貨物船の船長はどちらも緊急信号を発信しなかったと伝えている。

クリミア半島ケルチの市当局は、犠牲者の受け入れ準備を進めている。

当局によると、出火当時の2隻は黒海の「中立」な公海を航行中だった。

貨物船2隻の名前は、アメリカ財務省の一覧に記載されていて、シリアに石油を輸送したとして制裁対象だった可能性がある。

アメリカは2011年に、シリアのバシャール・アル・アサド大統領がシリア国民に対し「継続的な残虐行為」を行っているとして、対シリア制裁を強化した。

ケルチ海峡はロシアとウクライナ間の緊張の焦点となっている。

昨年11月、ロシアが黒海とアゾフ海を結ぶケルチ海峡近くでウクライナ海軍艦3隻を拿捕したことで、両国の緊張が高まっている。

From(Maritime Connector.com)
Ship Name:	KANDY
IMO:	9004683
Type of ship:	OIL PRODUCTS TANKER
Flag:	SRI LANKA
Gross tonnage:	717 tons
DWT:	1038 tons
Year of Built:	1990
Builder:	SHIN KURUSHIMA HASHIHAMA DOCKYARD - HASHIHAMA, JAPAN
Class society:	INDIAN SHIPPING REGISTER
Manager & Owner:	INTEROCEAN ENERGY - COLOMBO, SRI LANKA
Former names:	WARNA until 2008 Sep KANDY until 2007 Nov WARNA until 2007 Sep ASANO MARU until 2005 Nov

From(Maritime Connector.com)
Ship Name:	MAESTRO (EX-GRETA KOSAN)
IMO:	8810700
Type of ship:	LPG TANKER
Flag:	TANZANIA (EX-Mongolia ← EX-U.K.)
Gross tonnage:	4086 tons
DWT:	4811 tons
Year of Built:	1990
Builder:	HYUNDAI HEAVY INDUSTRIES - ULSAN, SOUTH KOREA
Class society:	Unknown (EX-BUREAU VERITAS)
Manager & Owner:	Maestro Shipping Ltd, Anguilla (British West Indies)
Former names:	GREEn LIGHT until 2015 Sep GRETA KOSAN until 2015 Feb

20 People Allegedly Killed in the Fire of Ships in Crimea　01/22/19 （MARITIME HERALD）

The fire on Monday night (January 21, 2019) of two ships carrying gas near the Kerch Strait in the Crimea , most likely caused 20 deaths, announced Russian authorities on Tuesday. The rescue teams saved 12 sailors and found 10 bodies, said Alexei Kravchenko, spokesman for the Russian federal agency for maritime and river transport .

Another 10 sailors are still missing and are supposed to have died, he said. “There is no hope of finding them alive. It is no longer a rescue operation, “he said, adding that the missing persons sank” before the eyes of the rescuers “without life jackets . The fire started at a time when they transferred fuel from one ship to the other, so both crews jumped overboard.

The boats Kandy and Maestro, of Tanzanian flag, have crews from India and Turkey . The Kandy had a crew of 17 members, and the Master of 15, according to the Russian authorities. “Our embassy in Moscow is in permanent contact with the Russian agencies concerned to obtain more information about the affected Indians and to provide the necessary assistance,” the Indian authorities said in a statement. According to Alexéi Kravchenko, the fire has not yet been extinguished. “There’s an infinite amount of fuel there,” he said. The place where the accident occurred is near the Kerch Strait, which has become a new source of tension between Russia and Ukraine .

In November,Russia fired and boarded three Ukrainian Navy vessels in this strait, sparking the first direct military incident between Kiev and Moscow since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula .

14 dead after fire on two vessels off Crimea　01/21/19 （FRANCE 24）

Fourteen people were killed and five were missing off Russia-annexed Crimea in the Black Sea on Monday after a fire engulfed gas tankers sailing under the flag of Tanzania, authorities said.

"There are 11 bodies," Alexei Kravchenko, spokesman for Russia's Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport, told AFP.

"Another three people went under water before rescue workers' eyes."

Those three are most likely dead, he said.

The ships, the Kandy and the Maestro, had crews of nationals from India and Turkey.

The Kandy had a 17-strong crew, while the Maestro carried 14 people.

Twelve people had survived, Kravchenko said, but "no one knows where the other five people are".

The fire broke out when one vessel was transferring fuel to the other, driving both crews to jump overboard, said Kravchenko.

"A search-and-rescue operation is continuing," Kravchenko added.

Authorities in the Crimean city of Kerch were preparing to receive the victims, he added.

The accident struck close to the Kerch Strait, which has become a new flashpoint in tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

In November, Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels in the Kerch Strait as they tried to pass from the Black Sea to the Azov Sea.

The confrontation was the first open military clash between Kiev and Moscow since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea and a pro-Russian insurgency erupted in eastern Ukraine.

クリミア沖でガス輸送船が炎上、14人死亡 燃料移し替え中に火災　01/22/19（AFP）

【1月22日 AFP】ロシアがウクライナから併合したクリミア（Crimea）半島沖の黒海（Black Sea）で21日、タンザニア船籍のガス輸送船2隻が燃料の移し替えをしていたところ火災が発生し、14人が死亡、5人が行方不明となっている。ロシア当局が明らかにした。

　ロシア連邦海洋河川輸送局（Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport）の報道官はAFPに対し、11人が遺体で収容されたほか、救助隊が海中で目視した3人も死亡した可能性が高いとして、生存者は12人いるが「残る5人がどこにいるかは誰にも分からない」と述べた。

　報道官によれば、火災はガス輸送船「カンディ（Kandy）」と「マエストロ（Maestro）」の間で燃料の移し替えをしている際に発生し、双方の乗組員らが海に飛び込んだ。捜索救助活動は現在も続いているという。2隻の乗組員の国籍はインドとトルコで、カンディに17人、マエストロに14人が乗っていた。

　現場はクリミア（Crimea）半島沖のケルチ海峡（Kerch Strait）の近く。ロシア当局は昨年11月、同海峡を通って黒海からアゾフ海（Sea of Azov）に抜けようとしていたウクライナ海軍艦3隻を砲撃の末に拿捕（だほ）し、ケルチ海峡はロシアとウクライナの新たな火種となっている。

北朝鮮密輸防止へ米が制裁　発表時期、韓国牽制の意図か　02/24/18（朝日新聞）

ワシントン＝峯村健司

　米財務省は２３日、北朝鮮による制裁逃れの密輸に関わった中国や香港などの２７の海運会社と２８船舶、個人１人を新たに制裁対象にしたと発表した。海上で石炭や石油などの積み荷を移し替える密輸を封じ込める狙いがある。トランプ大統領は２３日の演説で「対北朝鮮制裁では最も厳しいものだ」と語り、核開発に使われる燃料や資金源を断つ考えを示した。

　トランプ氏の長女、イバンカ大統領補佐官がこの日、平昌（ピョンチャン）冬季五輪の閉会式に出席するために訪韓し、文在寅（ムンジェイン）大統領と会談した。このタイミングで制裁を発表することで、トランプ政権として北朝鮮に核放棄させるための「最大限の圧力」政策を緩めない方針を明確に打ち出し、五輪をきっかけに北朝鮮と融和路線に傾く韓国側を牽制（けんせい）する意図もありそうだ。

　財務省によると、今回対象となった海運会社は、北朝鮮のほか、香港、中国、台湾、シンガポールなどに拠点を置く。ロシア企業から北朝鮮に石油を密輸した台湾人１人も対象となった。米国内の資産が凍結されるほか、米国企業との取引が禁止される。船舶には、タンザニアやパナマなどの船籍も含まれていた。北朝鮮が密輸の発覚を逃れるために偽装していたものとみられる。

　これらの船舶は、北朝鮮産の石炭を輸出する一方、石油精製品を輸入していたとされる。１回あたり５５０万ドル（約５億８千万円）相当の石炭を運搬していたという。（ワシントン＝峯村健司）

Marine accident round-up : 16th April 2018（Insurance Marine News）
Small 15-ton fishing vessel 2007 Yeongheung was in collision with fishing vessel Xing Yue (IMO 8007705, but see below) shortly after midnight on April 12th while the latter was en route from Busan to China. The smaller vessel capsized. A guard vessel and private boats were deployed to the accident site. Five people were missing, one more was recovered unconscious, who later died. The capsized ship was searched by two divers of the Mokpo Marine Police, but they were hampered by nets, ropes and Styrofoam in the sea. Four helicopters were deployed. After dawn, two more bodies were found inside the fishing boat. The Xing Yue was disabled by the damage suffered and anchored at the accident site in the Gyeongnam Province. The relevant IMO names the vessel as Gral on both Equasis and Marine Traffic. 1980-built, Tanzania-flagged, 498 gt Gral is owned and managed by BHG Co Ltd SA of Panama City, Panama.
http://www.yonhapnews.co.kr/bulletin/2018/04/12/0200000000AKR20180412039700054.HTML?input=facebook

かじ故障の貨物船えい航へ　北海道知床岬沖　02/21/18（産経新聞）

　第１管区海上保安本部（北海道小樽市）は２１日、知床岬北西沖でかじが故障し漂流しているタンザニア船籍の貨物船について、救助に向かった巡視船が現場に到着し、２２日朝にも稚内港沖に向けてえい航すると発表した。.

　１管によると、ロシア人やインドネシア人、ウクライナ人の乗員計２８人にけがはなく、体調不良を訴える人もいない。２１日午後、知床岬から北西約１３５キロの海域で巡視船が貨物船と合流し、流氷を砕くなどしてえい航に向けた準備をした。.

　貨物船は１８日午前、「かじが故障して漂流している」と１１８番し、巡視船が救助に向かっていた。.

April 2017 List of ships which violated EU-UN Crimean sanctions　06/02/17 （MARITIME BULLETIN）

Vigilante group Maidan of Foreign Affairs and Black Sea News, which are jointly monitoring Crimean Shipping and run a database of sanctions perpetrators, publish their regular monthly April Report. 75 vessels which called Crimean ports were recorded, including 55 vessels deployed in active trade (including 19 ferries), and 20 under repairs or in lay-up. Flag distribution statistics:
Syria – 1
Moldova – 1
Comoros – 1
Togo – 1
Saint Kitts & Nevis – 1
Sierra Leone – 2
Panama – 2
Mongolia – 3
Palau – 3
Russia – 60 (80%)

List of vessels which violated sanctions and Ukrainian Laws:
Full list with details can be seen here: http://www.blackseanews.net/read/130666 WARNING: Vessels recorded in Ukrainian Violators Database can be considered as vessels in high risk zone – they can be arrested or detained in EU countries after Ukraine claim, or confiscated if calling Ukrainian ports.
Crimea was annexed by Russia in year 2014, and as such, is considered by international community as an occupied territory, subject to Ukrainian and Maritime International Laws.

DENIZNew Flag: Comoros IMO: 7361635
IVAN Flag: Comoros IMO: 8414283
AMUR-2516 Flag: Moldova IMO: 8721428
METAL (TALA) Flag: Mongolia IMO: 8012114
GREEN ENERGY
New Name: VENICE IMO: 9005479
LEONARDO New Flag: Mongolia IMO: 7529641
NARVA New Flag: Palau IMO: 9631905.
NOVOROSSIYSK (ULUSOY 1) Flag: Palau IMO: 7822160
MORYAK Flag: Palau IMO: 8881266
FOM Flag: Panama IMO: 8100624
LITTLE WIND Flag: Panama IMO: 8863018
LIMAN Flag: Russia IMO: 7618272
ARMAN-1 Flag: Russia IMO: 8872590
NEFTERUDOVOZ 43M Flag: Russia IMO: 8133669
AGIOS LAVRENTIOS New Flag: Russia IMO: 8647866
MARIA ELENI New Flag: Russia IMO: 9617923
BORIS SHTOKOLOV (YENER C) New Flag: Russia IMO: 9545522
PROTOPOROS VI New Flag: Russia IMO: 9657222
IRTYSH New Flag: Russia IMO: 8841539
GLIKOFILOYSA II New Flag: Russia IMO: 9554638
PROTOPOROS IV New Flag: Russia IMO: 9688611
ANT Flag: Russia IMO: 8407230
KUDMA 4 Flag: Russia IMO: 9100190
VOLGO-BALT 144 Flag: Russia IMO: 8857801
VOLGO BALT 203 Flag: Russia IMO: 8841620
RM3 New Flag: Russia IMO: 8877241
ZELENGA Flag: Russia IMO: 8862856
BEREZOVETS Flag: Russia IMO: 8885200
VOLGO BALT 156 New Flag: Russia IMO: 8867442
NEFTERUDOVOZ 29M Flag: Russia IMO: 7740570
GLYKOFILOUSA III New Flag: Russia IMO: 8647854
OLYMPIADA New Flag: Russia IMO: 8611532
ROBUR New Flag: Russia IMO: 8716954.
KRYM New Flag: Russia IMO: 7727425
NADYM Flag: Russia IMO: 9142904
LENANEFT 2068 Flag: Russia IMO: 8879847
SOVETSKAYA RODINA Flag: Russia IMO: 7636860.
MEE Flag: Russia IMO: 6603177
NIKOLAY AKSENENKO Flag: Russia IMO: 9711250
PETROVSK Flag: Russia IMO: 8841474
SAM O’CAT Flag: Russia IMO: 8848305
SEVASTOPOL Flag: Russia IMO: 6523951
TASE Flag: Russia IMO: 8857978
ABRAMTSEVO Flag: Russia IMO: 8947955
ANATOLIY GAVRILOV Flag: Russia IMO: 8878764
ANNENKOV Flag: Russia IMO: 8841450
BAYKALSK Flag: Russia MMSI: 273427550
БФИ-1 (FERUZ) Flag: Russia IMO: 9411874
CONRO TRADER Flag: Russia IMO: 7711763
YEYSK New Flag: Russia IMO: 8725565
KORSAKOV Flag: Russia IMO: 8724793
AKADEMIK ANDREEV Flag: Russia IMO: 6825426
PRANIK Flag: Russia IMO: 8986884
SOLIDAT Flag: Russia IMO: 7614599
PECHORA Flag: Russia IMO: 8714009
TROFA Flag: Russia IMO: 6604573
PYOTR LIDOV Flag: Russia IMO: 7337684
MEZHDURECHENSK Flag: Russia IMO: 8948167
ELENA (GLYKOFILOUSA) Flag: Russia IMO: 9774501
AVANGARD Flag: Russia IMO: 9522403
KAPITAN BARMIN Flag: Russia IMO: 9269350
KOLGUEV Flag: Russia IMO: 7111420
YAZ Flag: Russia IMO: 9735323
NINA MALKOVA Flag: Russia IMO: 9818785
VOLGONEFT-270 Flag: Russia IMO: 8230986 (-)
SPASSK Flag: Russia IMO: 8947670 (-)
VOLGONEFT-208 Flag: Russia IMO: 8230821 (-)
AMUR 2515 Flag: Saint Kitts Nevis IMO: 8721416
PRINCESSA ELENA Flag: Sierra Leone IMO: 8888824
NADALINA Flag: Sierra Leone IMO: 8215754
LAODICEA Flag: Syria IMO: 9274343

北朝鮮、タンザニア船籍で制裁破り　10/20/2016（ デイリーNKジャパン）

国連の制裁の対象となっている北朝鮮の船舶が、タンザニアの船籍を取得し、運航を続けていることが明らかになった。報じたのは、米国の北朝鮮専門ニュースサイトの「NKニュース」と、北朝鮮医師によるインチキ治療問題を追跡し続けてきたタンザニアの日刊紙「ザ・シティズン」だ。

ザ・シティズンは10月10日の記事で、北朝鮮が所有している、または関係がある50隻の船舶が、制裁が発効した今年3月以降にタンザニアの船籍を取得した疑惑を報じた。また、NKニュースは北朝鮮船舶の15％がタンザニア船籍で運航していると報じた。

タンザニア船籍の登録を受け付けているのは、タンザニア連合共和国内のザンジバル自治政府の海事庁系の機関「タンザニア・ザンジバル国際船舶登録（TZIRS）」だが、自治政府のインフラ通信交通省のムスタファ・アバウド・ジャンベ大臣は当初「真っ赤なウソ」と報道を強く否定していた。

一方、タンザニア連合共和国のマヒガ外相は「国連の制裁に関連してわが国がまたもやトラブルに巻き込まれた」と怒りを露わにした。

同国では2012年、当時経済制裁下にあったイランの船舶36隻が、ザンジバルでタンザニア船籍を取得したことが明らかになり、同自治政府は船舶を抹消している。登録代行を請け負っていたのは、アラブ首長国連邦のドバイのエージェントだ。

大臣は「連合政府は国連の制裁対象国の船舶に船籍を与えることに断固反対しているが、悪名高いドバイのエージェントの制裁破りが問題だ」と、ザンジバル海事庁と取引のあったエージェントのフィルテックス社を非難した。

外相の発言の後、ザンジバル海事庁はタンザニア船籍を与えた北朝鮮船舶は50隻にのぼることを明らかにし、そのうち13隻の登録を抹消、今後も順次抹消を行うと発表した。

「ザ・シティズン」は、TZIRSに問題が多く、同機関、ザンジバル自治政府、タンザニア連合政府との間でオンラインの登録、情報共有システムが存在せず、監督体制に穴があることを指摘している。

アフリカの船舶事情に精通した情報筋が米政府系のラジオ・フリー・アジア（RFA）に語ったところによると、TZIRSは2016年6月以前に登録した外国船舶の船籍はすべて抹消したと主張しているが、現状も承認件数、抹消件数も何一つ明らかになっていない。

タンザニアは、アフリカ本土のタンガニーカと、インド洋に浮かぶザンジバルの2地域からなる連合国家で、ザンジバルには独自の憲法、政府、議会があり、大統領もいる。外交、国防などを除く多くの分野で広範な自治権を認められている。そのため、ザンジバルには中央政府の監督が行き届かないシステムとなっている。

北朝鮮当局は、連合国家特有の体制、1隻2～3万ドル（約208万円～312万円）の手頃な登録費に目をつけて、同所での登録を行っていたものと思われる。また、ザンジバル自治政府は、パナマやリベリアのような便宜置籍船国として、北朝鮮船舶の登録を受け付けて、税収増大を狙っていたものと思われる

イラン、36隻でタンザニア船籍取得　欧米の制裁逃れか　08/12/2012（日本経済新聞）

【ナイロビ=共同】イランの石油タンカーやコンテナ船など36隻が、アフリカ東部タンザニアの船籍を取得していたことが12日までに、同国島しょ部のザンジバル自治政府の調査で判明した。ロイター通信などが伝えた。核開発を進めるイランに対する欧米の制裁を逃れ、原油輸出を続けるための措置とみられる。

ザンジバル自治政府によると、船籍取得の手続きはアラブ首長国連邦（UAE）ドバイの代理業者が行った。同自治政府は関知していないとし、36隻のタンザニア船籍を抹消する作業を開始した。

米政府は、イラン国営タンカー公社（NITC）の船舶が南太平洋の島国ツバルの船籍を取得し、原油輸出を継続しているとも指摘している。