The Panama Maritime Authority (PMA) has vowed to crack down on suspicious tankers and has laid down new regulations for ship-to-ship oil transfers for vessels in its registry.
This development comes amidst international pressure to stop the vessels trying to hide transactions of Russian and Iranian oil in its waters.
This regulation reinforces the role of Panama as a flag state committed to maritime safety, transparency and prevention of fraudulent use of its registry, in compliance with IMO regulations and MARPOL Convention, stated DGMM Acting Director, Engineer Rina Berrocal.
She added that it is not only about the reputation of the registry but also ensuring that their ships are not used for conducting illicit activities.
To trace the offshore STS transfers of hydrocarbons, PMA has stated that Panama-flagged ships with a gross tonnage of 150 or above have to notify the flag state 48 hours in advance of any planned STS operation and provide detailed information on the same.
This rule is meant to
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