The Panama Maritime Authority has announced that, following an internal investigation, it will automatically cancel the registration of any vessel found to be involved in illegal activities or that changes its flag to evade sanctions.
This clarification comes in response to the recent inclusion of seven Panamanian-flagged vessels on the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) list. Panama has adopted strategies to reduce the inclusion of vessels on sanction lists, including:
- The Monitoring and Control Section was transferred from the Department of Navigation and Maritime Safety to the Maritime Ship Protection Department, aligning it with its functions in international sanctions and merchant fleet surveillance.
- In September 2024, the “Panama Flag Precheck Process” was published, establishing prerequisites for flagging and allowing due diligence on the ship, owner, and operator.
- Panama signed the Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) to prevent ships from moving between registries to commit illegal activities or evade sanctions.
The PMA’s General Directorate of Merchant Marine is evaluating additional measures to swiftly remove vessels with proven links to activities against national interests, international instruments, or the shipping industry.
Legal mechanisms are in place to cancel the registration of vessels included on sanction lists, as described in Article 49 of General Law 57 of the Merchant Marine. This includes automatic cancellations for crimes such as smuggling, illegal trade, and piracy.
The Panamanian Ship Registry will not negotiate with those seeking to misuse it and will apply established legal mechanisms to ensure due process and legal security.
… concluded the Authority in a statement
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