Representatives of the government of USA and the US Embassy in Panama, held, recently, a work meeting with representatives of the Panama Maritime Authority  regarding the continuous commitment both countries maintain in maritime matters.

Over the meeting the personnel of the PMA explained the role of the institution, of the Panamanian Ship Registry and of the Section of Control and Monitoring of the Department of Navigation and Maritime Safety, regarding the due diligence and continuous vigilance over ships registered in the Panamanian Merchant Marine.

Abram Paley, Deputy Special Envoy for Iran from the Government of the United States of America, expressed the importance of maintaining the cooperation between both countries to face the unstable behavior of the Iran Islamic Republic. Likewise, he manifested that both nations maintain a common goal, therefore it is healthy to exchange ideas and continue with the joint work of the last years.

The possibility of Panamanian-flagged ships were used to transport Iranian oil was among the issues addressed in the meeting. However, confirming that up to date there are no ships owned by Iranian nationals within the Panamanian Registry, as far as there is awareness. In this sense, Miad Maleki, Main Advisor of the Office of Foreign Asset Control, indicated that the reputation of the Panamanian Flag is very important for the United States of America, as well as its commerce and that there is complete trust in the Republic of Panama.

The meeting also addressed the formality and protocol developed by the governments of Panama and the United States in 2020 to treat these issues, but up to this date no formal communication has been received on cancellation request for ships under the Panamanian Registry.

It is appropriate to mention that ship cancellations must be within the Panamanian legal framework, specifically Law No. 57 from August 6, 2008, since that regulation rules the due process.

The PMA team presented the statistics of the 863 cancelled ships from 2019 to this date, from which 706 have been cancelled ex officio, meanwhile the other 157 have been cancelled by annulment and legal sales. We also presented the statistics of the ships of Panamanian flag, listed by the Office of Asset Control (OFAC) and the consequent process of Registry cancellation.

In addition, it was highlighted and evidence was shown that from the 41 ships listed by the OFAC, 24 have been cancelled from the Registry and the update of the information on its webpage has been requested by means of formal letters in April and June of 2023. 6 other vessels have also been cancelled and the remaining 11 ships are into a cancellation process. Once these actions have been completed, the cancellation of the total 41 vessels listen in OFAC would have been achieved according to formal communications.

Another addressed issue was the importance of Panama being able to be notified regarding the information of the ships that will be listed or penalized, like it is informed to the other registries, which would help to avoid a change of registry during the formalization of the listing and penalization process.

During the visit, the American delegation went to the Control and Monitoring Center of the Panamanian fleet to witness first-hand its functionality.

At the end of the meeting, it was agreed to continue with the established protocol for the exchange of information and requests between governments, as well as the possibility to sign a bilateral cooperation agreement to continue institutionalizing these efforts in the management of future administrations of both countries.

The PMA was pleased that Mr. Paley concluded the meeting expressing that he is confident that the Panama is focused in its responsibilities as responsible Ship Registry and important strategic partner in international maritime trade.  Representatives of both governments have committed to continue working hand in hand to have a responsible maritime industry.