German owner ends Iran port calls

AUGUST 9, 2013 — Iran sanctions watchdog United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) has applauded German shipping company Reederei Rudolf Schepers GmbH & Co KG

Last month, UANI wrote to Reederei Rudolf Schepers, and raised concerns with the business of its vessel, the TS Jakarta. The TS Jakarta had been making calls at Bandar Abbas port, which is operated by the sanctioned entity Tidewater Middle East Co. Wrote UANI: “UANI calls upon Reederei Rudolf Schepers to follow the lead of other multinational companies, such as Maersk Line, and end port calls of its vessels to Iran.”

In response, Reederei Rudolf Schepers contacted UANI, and stated that the TS Jakarta, now renamed, “will not call any Iranian ports in the future.” Reederei Rudolf Schepers also added, “also our other ships will not call Iranian ports in the future.”

Said UANI CEO, Ambassador Mark D. Wallace: “We applaud Reederei Rudolf Schepers for ending port calls to Iran. This was the right decision, and eliminates one more avenue the Iranian regime was using to evade sanctions. No responsible shipper can continue to make port calls to Iran, as the regime is known to falsify cargoes, illegally export weapons to terrorists, and import supplies for its nuclear program.”

UANI claims that Iran’s shipping industry is collapsing, as insurers, classification societies, and shippers have ceased their business with the country. Any shippers still doing business in Iran are complicit in the regime’s unlawful actions, and should pull out immediately, it asserts.