September 10, 2008
HP-1130

Major Iranian Shipping Company Designated for Proliferation Activity

Washington, DC--The U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control today designated the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL), and 18 other affiliated entities, for providing logistical services to Iran's Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL). 

"Not only does IRISL facilitate the transport of cargo for U.N. designated proliferators, it also falsifies documents and uses deceptive schemes to shroud its involvement in illicit commerce," said Stuart Levey, Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence. "IRISL's actions are part of a broader pattern of deception and fabrication that Iran uses to advance its nuclear and missile programs. That conduct should give pause to any financial institution or business still choosing to deal with Iran."

MODAFL, which was designated by the U.S. Department of State in October 2007 under E.O. 13382, has the ultimate authority over previously designated entities including the Aerospace Industries Organization an umbrella group which controls Iran's ballistic missile research, development and production activities and organizations.

IRISL is Iran's national maritime carrier; a global operator with a worldwide network of subsidiaries, branch offices and agent relationships.  It provides a variety of maritime transport services, including bulk, break-bulk, cargo and containerized shipping.  These services connect Iranian exporters and importers with South America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.

According to information available to the U.S. government, IRISL also facilitates shipments of military-related cargo destined for MODAFL and its subordinate entities, including organizations that have been designated by the United States pursuant to E.O. 13382 and listed by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747.

In order to ensure the successful delivery of military-related goods, IRISL has deliberately misled maritime authorities through the use of deception techniques.  These techniques were adopted to conceal the true nature of shipments ultimately destined for MODAFL.  Furthermore, as international attention over Iran's WMD programs has increased, IRISL has pursued new strategies, which could afford it the potential to evade future detection of military shipments.

Specifically, IRISL has employed the use of generic terms to describe shipments so as not to attract the attention of shipping authorities and created and made use of cover entities to conduct official, IRISL business.  For example, in 2007, IRISL transported a shipment of a precursor chemical destined for use in Iran's missile program.  The end user of the chemical was Parchin Chemical Industries, an entity listed by the United States pursuant to E.O. 13382 and listed in UNSCR 1747 as a subordinate of Iran's Defense Industries Organization (DIO).

Also designated today were 17 entities, which were found to be owned or controlled by or acting or purporting to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, IRISL. These entities are:

• Valfajr 8th Shipping Line Co SSK
• Khazar Sea Shipping Lines
• Irinvestship Ltd.
• Shipping Computer Services Company
• Iran o Misr Shipping Company
• Iran o Hind Shipping Company
• IRISL Marine Services & Engineering Company
• Irital Shipping SRL Company
• South Shipping Line Iran
• IRISL Multimodal Transport Co.
• Oasis Freight Agencies
• IRISL Europe Gmbh
• IRISL Benelux NV
• IRISL China Shipping Co., Ltd.
• Asia Marine Network Pte. Ltd.
• CISCO Shipping Co. Ltd.
• IRISL (Malta) Limited

One additional entity, IRISL (UK) Ltd., was designated today for being owned or controlled by Irinvestship Ltd. 

Today's designations reinforce United Nations Security Council Resolution 1803 of March 2008, which among other things, calls upon all States, in a manner consistent with their national legal authorities and international law, to inspect IRISL cargoes to and from Iran, transiting their ports, "provided there is reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel is transporting prohibited goods" pursuant to UNSCRs 1737, 1747 and 1803.

These designations also highlight the dangers of doing business with IRISL and its subsidiaries.  Countries and firms, including customers, business partners, and maritime insurers doing business with IRISL, may be unwittingly helping the shipping line facilitate Iran's proliferation activities.

Identifying Information on Designees:

ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OR IRAN SHIPPING LINES

A.K.A.           
IRISL Group
IRI Shipping Lines
ARYA Shipping Company
IRISL

Address 1       No. 37, Aseman Tower, Sayyade Shirazee Square, Pasdaran Ave., Tehran, Iran, P.O. Box 19395-1311

Address 2        No. 37, Corner of 7th Narenjestan, Sayad Shirazi Square, After Noboyand Square, Pasdaran Ave., Tehran, Iran

VALFAJR 8TH SHIPPING LINE CO SSK

AKA              
Sherkat Sahami Khass Keshtirani Valfajr 8th
Valfajre Eight Shipping Co.
Val Fajr-E-8 Shipping Company
Val Fajr Hasht Shipping Co.
VESC

Address 1        Shahid Azodi St., Karimkhan Zand Ave., Abiar Alley, P.O. Box 4155, Tehran, Iran

Address 2        Abyar Alley, Corner of Shahid Azodi St & Karim Khan Zand Ave., Tehran, Iran

KHAZAR SEA SHIPPING LINES

AKA              
Darya-ye Khazar Shipping Company
Khazar Shipping Co.

Address 1        M. Khomeini St., Ghazian, Bandar Anzali, Gilan, Iran

Address 2        No. 1, End of Shahid Mostafa Khomeini St., Tohid Square, P.O. Box 43145, Bandar Anzali, 1711-324, Iran

IRINVESTSHIP LTD.

Address 1       
Global House 61 Petty France, London, SW1H 9EU, United Kingdom,

Registration Number:  4110179

IRAN O HIND SHIPPING COMPANY

AKA              
Keshtirani Iran Ve Hend Sahami Khass
Irano Hind Shipping Company
Iranohind Shipping Company (PJS)
IHSC

Address 1        265, Next to Mehrshad, Sedaghat St., Opposite of Mellat Park, Vali Asr Ave., Tehran, IAOO1, Iran

Address 2        18 Mehrshad Street, Sadaghat Street, Opposite Park Mellat, Vali-e-Asr Ave., Tehran, Iran

SHIPPING COMPUTER SERVICES COMPANY

AKA              
SCSCO

Address 1        No. 37, Asseman, Shahid Sayyad Shirazeesq, Pasdaran Ave., Tehran, Iran, P.O. Box 1587553-1351

Address 3        No. 13, 1st Floor, Abgan Alley, Aban Ave., Karimkhan Zand Blvd., 15976 Tehran

IRAN O MISR SHIPPING COMPANY

AKA              
Iranmisr Shipping Company
Iran & Egypt Shipping Lines

Address 1        El Nahda Building, Elnahda St., 4th Floor, Port Said, Egypt

Address 2        No. 41, 3rd Floor, Corner of 6th Alley, Sanaei St., Karim Khan Zand Ave., Tehran, Iran

Address 3        6 El Horreya Avenue, Alexandria, Egypt

IRISL MARINE SERVICES & ENGINEERING COMPANY

AKA              
Sherkate Khadamte Darya and Moharndesi Keshtirani
IMSENGCO

Address 1        No. 221, Northern Iranshahr St. Karimkhan Ave., Tehran, Iran

Address 2        Karim Khane Zand Ave., Iran Shahr Shomai, No. 221, Tehran, Iran Address 3        Sarbandar, Gas Station, P.O. Box 199, Bandar Imam Khomeini, Iran

IRITAL SHIPPING SRL COMPANY

Address          
Ponte Francesco Morosini 59, 16126 Genova (GE) Italy;

Fiscal Code:    03329300101
VAT Number: 12869140157
CCIAA:          GE 426505  

SOUTH SHIPPING LINE IRAN

AKA              
South Shipping Lines Iran Line Company

Address 1        Qaem Magham Farahani St., Tehran, Iran

Address 2        Apt. No. 7, 3rd Fl., No. 2, 4th Alley, Gandi Ave., Tehran, Iran

IRISL MULTIMODAL TRANSPORT CO.

AKA             
Rail Iran Shipping Company

Address 1       
No. 25, Shahid Arabi Line, Sanaei St., Karimkhan Zand St., Tehran, Iran

OASIS FREIGHT AGENCIES

 AKA              
Oasis Freight Agency LLC

Address 1        Sharaf Building, No. 4, 2nd Floor, Al Meena Road, Opposite Customs, Dubai, UAE

Address 2        Sharaf Shipping Building, 1st Floor, Al Mankhool St., Bur Dubai, P.O. Box 5562, Dubai, UAE

Address 3        Kayed Ahli Building, Jamal Abdul Nasser Road (Parallel to Al Wahda St.), P.O. Box 4840, Sharjah, UAE

IRISL EUROPE GMBH

Address          
Schottweg 5, 22087 Hamburg, Germany

VAT Number: DE217283818

IRISL BENELUX NV

Address          
Noorderlaan 139, B-2030, Antwerp, Belgium

VAT Number: BE480224531

IRISL (UK) LTD

Address          
2 Abbey Road, Barking, Essex IG11 7 AX, United Kingdom

Registration Number: 4765305

IRISL CHINA SHIPPING CO., LTD

AKA              
Yi Hang Shipping Company, Ltd

Address          
F23A-D, Times Plaza No. 1, Taizi Road, Shekou, Shenzhen, China, ZIP: 518067

ASIA MARINE NETWORK PTE. LTD.

AKA              
IRISL Asia Pte. Ltd.
Asian Perfect Marine Pte. Ltd.

Address           200 Middle Road, #14-01 Prime Centre, Singapore 188980

CISCO SHIPPING CO. LTD.

AKA              
IRISL Korea Co., Ltd.
SISCO
Seoul International Shipping Co.

Address 1       
8th Floor, Sebang Bldg., 708-8, Yeoksam-dong, Kangnam-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Address 2       
4th Floor, Sebang Bldg. 68-46, Jwacheon-Dong, Dong-Gu, Busan, Republic of Korea

IRISL (MALTA) LIMITED

AKA              
IRISL Malta Limited

Address           Flat 1, 181, Tower Road, Sliema SLM 1604, Malta
Registration Number: C33735
Tax Registration Number: MT 17037313

These actions were taken pursuant to Executive Order 13382, an authority aimed at freezing the assets of proliferators of weapons of mass destruction and their supporters, and at isolating them from the U.S. financial and commercial systems. Today's designations are part of the ongoing interagency effort by the U.S. Government to combat WMD trafficking by blocking the property of entities and individuals that engage in proliferation activities and their support networks. Designations under E.O. 13382 are implemented by Treasury's OFAC, and they prohibit all transactions between the designees and any U.S. person, and freeze any assets the designees may have under U.S. jurisdiction.

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