May 16, 2023
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The government recently shed light on a Tanzanian-registered vessel sinking in a jetty in South Iran’s port of Assaluyeh, mentioning that the owner has been preparing for salvage.
The director general of Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA), Sheikha Mohamed, reported to The Citizen that they received notification of the accident on Tuesday.
Mohamed mentioned that on receiving the information, the authority asked the marine casualty investigator associated with the Royal Classification Society in the UAE to be at the scene and draft a report.
Source: Iran News/YouTube
The preliminary report shows the sinking resulted from improper loading of containers. She explained and added that the ship owner was preparing for salvage.
Mohamed mentioned that the vessel, dubbed Anil, sails under the flag of Tanzania and is reportedly owned by Amir Kashiani of Iran under the recognized organization dubbed the “Royal Classification Society”.
The Recognized organization is a classification firm or other private body that carries out the statutory tasks on behalf of a flag-state administration, in this case, the ZMA.
The official IRNA news agency mentioned that the vessel overturned as the containers were wrongly configured at dock No. 9.
Photographs after the incident indicate that the vessel is sinking on its side with containers floating around it.
The port is the primary hub for gas and petrochemicals shipment produced in Iran. It is located approximately 940 kilometres south of Tehran’s capital and has over two dozen piers. Foreign media reported that Tanzania and Iran make lower than $100 million in terms of trade each year.
Iran’s exports and imports have slowed owing to oil and banking sanctions levied by the US after Donald Trump pulled America from a nuclear deal between world powers and Iran in 2018.
Despite these sanctions, Tanzania and Iran are continuing trade ties. In 2022, Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iran’s Foreign Minister, mentioned that Tanzania and Iran would be drawing a roadmap to build bilateral relations between the two nations in several fields.
He reached Tanzania following a trip to Mali.
The top-most Iranian diplomat was reportedly welcomed by Liberata Mulamula, the Tanzanian counterpart and the then Foreign Affairs minister, with whom he had discussions before he met the other leaders.
Reliable shipping sources show that the 34-year-old ship reached Assaluyeh Port on Monday at around 20:43Hrs.
References: The Citizen, Ghana Web
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