Bureau Veritas Cuts Off All Marine Work in Iran Due to Sanctions

Bureau Veritas (BV), French classification society, has cut off all marine work in Iran – just another result of the pressure facing Tehran due to the newly-imposed Western sanctions.

Without safety and environmental standards verification, ships cannot dock at international ports. In April, Lloyd’s register – another class society based out of the UK – made the same decision to halt their Iran operations. They stopped evaluating around 60 tankers and container ships owned by the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) following growing concern from the United States.

BV released a statement claiming that the only marine-related activity that they have ever done onboard vessels in Iran or owned by Iranian companies is classification surveys, which only deal with safety and maritime pollution prevention, that is, for safety and protection of third-parties' interests.

As Iran’s controversial nuclear program continues to face scrutiny and repercussions from Western countries, shipping experts believe the country is already in the process of having Asian classification societies cover them.

United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) urged Bureau Veritas to stop providing cover for Iranian vessels, prompting their decision to completely disengage from the country. They felt that BV's certification activities were in violation of EU sanctions. The international community must focus specifically on the shipping industry, to deny the Iranian regime access to global trade and seaborne crude oil exports, reports Reuters.

BV reportedly gave notice to Iran's flag authority at the end of 2011 of the termination of the agreement of inspections and certification surveys for Iranian registered vessels. It said it had also notified IRISL in May 2012 that it was ending all services for IRISL and its subsidiaries, regardless of their flags.