India’s ship safety classification body is tightening its approach toward vessels suspected of helping bypass international trade sanctions, cancelling certification for more than 200 ships since 2023, Arun Sharma, the agency’s head, has stated.
The Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass), one of the world’s major ship classification organisations, said that removal from its register can significantly hinder a vessel’s ability to obtain insurance or gain access to ports, Caliber.Az reports, citing Reuters.
According to the executive chairman, IRClass has de-classed 235 vessels since 2023, most of them oil tankers, along with a smaller number of gas carriers.
He said the organisation previously had ships that were subject to Western sanctions, but it has since adopted what he described as a “very comprehensive” sanctions policy.
“From almost 2023 onwards, we are not taking any ships which have any sanctions, whether it is U.S. or European or UK sanctions,” Sharma said, referring to restrictions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine and on Iran over its nuclear programme and related activities.
India, the world’s third-largest importer and consumer of crude oil, also recently rejected Russia’s proposal to sell liquefied natural gas that is subject to US sanctions.
However, experts note that refusing certification may also contribute to the expansion of the so-called “shadow fleet” of ships operating without clear insurance coverage or adherence to environmental safety standards.
Sharma added that while IRClass avoids registering ships linked to Iranian or Russian ownership, it has limited visibility over the actual cargo transported.
“Today, we may take in a ship which is as per the registry, non-Russian, non-Iranian, and tomorrow (the vessel) carries oil from Iran to somewhere ... we don't have any control on that,” he emphasised.
By Bakhtiyar Abbasov
