Panama pledges not to register tankers and bulkers over 15 years old
Shadow fleet pressure sees Panama Maritime Authority ban all tankers, bulkers and general cargo vessels from entering the flag
Having delisted over 200 ships already, Panama is now closing the door to older ships and introducing tighter vetting procedures in a bid to rid itself of sanctions pressure from the US
TANKERS and bulk carriers over the age of 15 years will no longer be accepted into the Panama Ship Registry.
The decision, announced by the Panama Maritime Authority on Friday, is part of a wider move to rid the register of shadow fleet* ships and comes after months of pressure from the US government.
The Panama registry has updated its policies to tighten its vetting process which evaluates all ships for operational risk and sanctions exposure before allowing them to join the flag.
The regulation was adopted after the General Directorate of the Merchant Marine identified that 71% of fleet detentions between 2023 and the first half of 2025 corresponded to bulk carriers, general cargo vessels, and oil tankers older than 15 years, the registry explained.
It also follows sustained pressure from the US in the form of multiple diplomatic visits and a direct warning from the Federal Maritime Commission earlier this year, stating that “registries hosting outlaw vessels used by reprehensible regimes to facilitate their evasion of international regulations would certainly qualify as conduct warranting the commission’s attention and action”.
The FMC commended the recent delisting of sanctioned vessels from the Panama flag having stated that 60% of the Iran-linked shadow fleet had previously registered in Panama.
In June, the registry claimed that a total of 214 vessels had been withdrawn from the flag since it began implementing measures last year allowing it to “act faster to help enforce sanctions”.
The latest move to ban ships over 15 years old marks a significant shift away from the demographics of ships that had previously been registered to Panama. There are currently over 1,400 tankers or bulk carriers flagged to Panama built prior to 2011.
“By prioritising quality over quantity and implementing more rigorous oversight mechanisms, it ensures that the Panamanian fleet complies with the most demanding international regulations,” a statement from the Ship Registry explained.
Panama has also introduced further oversight measures, including mandatory quarterly inspections for problematic vessels and enhanced verification of Ship Safety Management Systems, the registry explained.
* Lloyd’s List defines a tanker as being part of the Shadow Fleet if it engages in one or more deceptive shipping practices indicating that it is involved in the facilitation of sanctioned oil cargoes from Iran, Russia or Venezuela. Or it is sanctioned for participation in sanctioned oil trades or is sanctioned for links to a company that is sanctioned for facilitating the export of sanctioned oil.
