Panama Closes Ship Registry to Older Oil Tankers and Bulkers Amid Shadow Fleet Concerns

. . . Panama has faced criticism for its handling of shadow fleet vessels despite removing more than 650 ships from its registry since 2019 as part of efforts to enforce western sanctions. The non-governmental organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) recently claimed that Panama “had not taken sufficient action against sanction violators” and noted that nearly one in five vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil sail under Panama’s flag.