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Sierra Leone removes 9 Iranian ships from register

Posted on September 10, 2012 at 05:21:23 PM AEDT

Sierra Leone removes 9 Iranian ships from register

Move comes as Western powers seek to ground Iran’s global oil carrier fleet by urging countries to deny their flags to Iranian ships.

DAKAR – Sierra Leone has removed nine vessels from its shipping register after an investigation found they belonged to IRISL, Iran’s embattled shipping line, the head of the West African state’s maritime authority said on Saturday.

The move comes as Western powers seek to ground Iran’s global oil carrier fleet by urging countries to deny their flags to Iranian ships, part of a broader push to curb Tehran’s nuclear program with economic sanctions.

He said four vessels – Alva, Amin, Tour and Benita – were removed from the register late last week and that five others had been deleted since the end of August. He did not give further details.

Iran has been trying to reflag its ships in an attempt to avoid Western sanctions aimed at choking off its oil exports.

Article supplied by The Jerusalem Post:

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