Latest news with #ErickMarciscano
GMA Network
3 days ago
- Business
- GMA Network
Panama removes over 650 ships from registry amid sanctions, stricter rules
File photo of a Panamanian flag flutters with the skyline of the city in the background, in Panama City, Panama. REUTERS/Erick Marciscano PANAMA CITY - Panama's Maritime Authority has removed from its registry more than 650 vessels since 2019 as part of an effort to fulfill U.S. sanctions and enforce stricter rules for the ships it flags, it said on Monday. A total of 214 vessels have been withdrawn from Panama's registry, among the world's largest with more than 8,500 ships, since it began implementing measures last year allowing it to act faster to help enforce sanctions, the authority added. Ships cannot sail under Panama's flag once they are removed from its registry. Panama responded to criticism by non-governmental organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI), which last week said Panama had not taken sufficient action against sanction violators and asked it to "immediately cease facilitating Iran's illicit oil trade" and withdraw its flag from all tankers carrying Iranian oil. According to UANI, nearly one in five vessels suspected of transporting Iranian oil sails under Panama's flag. "This is not just a failure of Panama's registry. It's a direct threat to global sanctions compliance and regional and U.S. security," it said. Panama in 2019 signed an agreement with other flag countries including Liberia and Marshall Islands to exchange information about vessels whose registrations were canceled or rejected due to potential sanction violations. It also began implementing measures against ships that deliberately turn off their transponders to avoid tracking. In May, the authority said it would reinforce controls for ship-to-ship operations by Panama-flagged vessels, following an increase in the use of "dark-fleet" tankers to skirt sanctions or evade environmental requirements. The U.S. has increased pressure on countries with large vessel registries to help enforce sanctions. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the expansion of a dark fleet of tankers moving sanctioned oil and threatened to take over the Panama Canal. The Central American nation is collaborating with the United States on its registry, the authority said in its press release. — Reuters
Straits Times
22-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Panama-Venezuela flights cleared to restart after nearly a year
FILE PHOTO: A Copa Airlines plane is pictured at Tocumen International Airport in Panama City, Panama March 18, 2020. REUTERS/Erick Marciscano/File Photo Panama-Venezuela flights cleared to restart after nearly a year PANAMA CITY - Flights between Panama and Venezuela have been cleared to restart, Panama's aviation authority said on Thursday, nearly a year after they were suspended due to a diplomatic standoff between the two nations. Panama President Jose Raul Mulino had refused to recognize Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro's win in last July's elections, leading Venezuela to pull its diplomatic representation from the country and pause air travel between the two nations. The United States and other Western nations have widely condemned the Venezuelan vote results, after which opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez was forced to leave the country. Mulino told a press conference earlier on Thursday that it was in Panama's best interest to restart flights with Venezuela. Neither he nor the aviation authority specified when flights would restart. Copa Holdings, Panama's flagship airline, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Panama also needs an agreement with Venezuela to be able to send back migrants rejected from the U.S., Mulino said. "It's not a massive number of people, but most are Venezuelan," Mulino added. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
