The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines’ (IRISL) vessels will soon sail for Europe as they have been removed from the Office of Foreign Assets Control’s (OFAC) sanctions list, the company said in a release.
IRISL, which was on OFAC’s list since September 2008, is expected to make its first visits in February, after a ban of almost five years.
The company’s subsidiaries have also been cleared of sanctions, namely, Hafiz Darya Shipping Co plans to launch a container service connecting Europe, Iran and India.
The president of IRISL, Mohammad Saeedi, recently said that “with the lifting of the sanctions, all the shipping lines in Eastern Asia, North China, Europe, Africa, and Persian Gulf regions will be at the disposal of Iranian merchants as well as international companies for the purpose of importing and exporting Iranian goods.”
OFAC’s measures included 13 sanctions against IRISL, covering a total of 132 companies and 16 executives of the Iranian marine fleet.
After the sanctions were lifted, Iran became a point of major interest of a number of shipping companies. Just yesterday, the French container shipping giant CMA CGM entered into an agreement with IRISL to increase its presence in Iran.
World Maritime News Staff