Group seeks boycott of Iranian port operator

Group seeks boycott of Iranian port operator    The organization United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) is asking shipping companies to stop doing business with Tidewater Middle East Co., which it says is Iran's major ports operator.
   The group said Thursday it applauded the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control for blacklisting Tidewater Middle East Co. and Iran Air by adding them to its “specially designated national” list.
   OFAC said the list includes individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups and entities such as terrorists. Their assets are blocked and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.
   UANI repeated its call to companies around the world to stop doing business with Iran.
   The Treasury Department noted there is no relationship between Tidewater Middle East Co., and Tidewater, a U.S.-headquartered international shipping company listed on the New York Stock Exchange as TDW.
   “In designating Tidewater and Iran Air weapons proliferators, the U.S. Treasury Department has highlighted Iran’s common tactic of exploiting shipping and cargo carriers. The regime has a long history of falsifying cargo declarations and deceiving other nations in order to illegally import nuclear technology and ship weapons to terrorist groups,” said Mark D. Wallace, president of UANI.
   A profile on Tidewater’s Web site said major clients include many of the world’s leading 'shipping lines such as IRISL, CMA CGM, Evergreen Marine Corp, Ignazio Messina, 'K' Line, Maersk Line, Malaysia International Shipping Corp., Mediterranean Shipping Co., NYK Lines, Pacific International Lines, Regional Container Line (RCL), UASC, SimaTech, Yang Ming Line, OOCL, COSCO, Hanjin, China Shipping Container Line, TS-Line, Emirates United Arab Shipping Co., and Wan Hai.'
   UANI has published a research report titled Iran’s Exploitation of the Shipping Industry.