UANI Impact: Insurers Cancel Liability Coverage On 100 Vessels Smuggling Iranian Oil Based On UANI Research

(New York, N.Y.) — United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI)’s efforts to stop the illicit sale of Iranian oil and gas by identifying and detecting vessels participating in Tehran’s smuggling schemes, and alerting maritime authorities to their activities, has led to 100 vessels losing essential insurance coverage through Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Clubs.

P&I Clubs protect against liability associated with vessel operations to shipowners, such as cargo loss or shortage, pollution from the ship, cargo damage, loss of life or injury, wreck removal, and collision with other ships. Without coverage, the vessels that the regime relies upon to smuggle oil and gas assume tremendous financial risk by continuing to operate. 

This is the third milestone for UANI’s shipping campaign this year. In April 2022, UANI announced that 100 vessels had been stripped of their flags by authorities worldwide due to its shipping campaign. This was followed by the announcement just a few weeks ago that UANI’s work had resulted in 100 vessels losing their classification certificates, which are necessary for registration with a flag state – a requirement for global travel and docking rights. To date, UANI’s shipping campaign has deprived the Iranian regime of more than $1.2 billion it would have used to finance its human rights abuses, state sponsorship of terrorism, and nuclear program.  

UANI applauds the P&I Clubs for recognizing the increasingly sophisticated techniques that unscrupulous vessel operators are using to smuggle oil and gas and taking action against them. However, there are measures that P&I Clubs can take to cut further into Iranian oil and gas smuggling. 

UANI’s report, Oceans Of Deceit: Iran’s Deceptive Shipping Practice And Exploitation Of The Maritime Industry, includes recommendations for P&I Clubs and other maritime service providers to consider including adopting a system of QR codes or barding of documents to ensure authenticity, validity, or cancellation of registry documents; requiring contractual language prohibiting Ship-to-Ship (STS) transfers of cargo to or from vessels with other vessels that are not broadcasting Automatic Identification System (AIS) data or have a history of AIS transponder manipulation; adopting an “AIS manipulation clause” and requiring that vessels only have one AIS transponder on board as part of contracts with vessels with mandatory public reporting of violations; and mandatory reporting of a loss of coverage to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).  

Read More: 

To read UANI’s Iran Tanker Tracker, please click here.

To read UANI’s updated list of vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil or gas, please click here. 

To read UANI’s report, Oceans Of Deceit: Iran’s Deceptive Shipping Practice And Exploitation Of The Maritime Industry, please click here.  

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