On June 6 United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) applauded the French shipping service, Bureau Veritas, for pledging to end its certification of Iranian shipping vessels, specifically those of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (“IRISL”) and the National Iranian Tanker Company (“NITC”).
UANI contacted Bureau Veritas last week, noting that its certification activities were in violation of EU sanctions. UANI launched its Shipping Certification Campaign in early May.
Following subsequent consultations with UANI, Bureau Veritas pledged that it has “decided to disengage completely from all Marine activities related to Iran. ” Bureau Veritas assured UANI that this pledge specifically includes “all vessels of the IRISL and of its subsidiaries, irrespective of their flags, ” as well as all NITC vessels.
UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace stated:
“We applaud Bureau Veritas for ending its certification of Iranian vessels. We accept Bureau Veritas’s pledge to end all of its marine activities related to Iran, and we thank the company’s executives for taking this quick and responsible action.
The international community must focus specifically on the shipping industry, to deny the Iranian regime access to global trade and seaborne crude oil exports. Aligned nations should prohibit all international cargo shippers that service Iranian ports from shipping to the U.S., EU and elsewhere. By cutting off Iran’s shipping access, the world can further isolate the regime and hamper its nuclear program and support for terrorists.”
UANI has highlighted the shipping industry as an area where the international community can further pressure Iran. In a March 17 Wall Street Journal Op-Ed, six UANI board members wrote that “the world must deny Iran’s access to international shipping, a move that would severely affect the regime given its dependence on global trade and seaborne crude oil exports. Aligned nations should prohibit international cargo shippers that service Iranian ports… from shipping to the U.S., EU and elsewhere.”
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Source: UANI, June 8, 2012; Image: Bureau Veritas