IRISL returns to Northern Europe as sanctions are lifted

The national maritime shipping line of Iran resumed calls to North Europe this week with its European Container Line service, which operates with two 2,478-TEU vessels.    The Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) Lines resumed its European Container Line (ECL) service between North Europe and the Persian Gulf this week, following its termination in mid-2010 due to sanctions, according to the Port of Hamburg.
   The ECL commenced with the March 17 sailing of the 2,478-TEU Azargoun from Hamburg and has a rotation of Hamburg, Antwerp, Tarragona, Barcelona, Genoa, Ambarli (Istanbul), Port Said, Bandar Abbas and Hamburg, according to ocean carrier schedule and capacity database BlueWater Reporting.
   The loop operates with one other vessel, the 2,478-TEU Artenos, with both vessels being operated by Hafiz Barya Shipping (HDS) Lines.
   The United States imposed sanctions on IRISL in 2008, alleging the shipping company and its affiliates helped transport shipments of illegal weapons to Iran.
   The U.S. Department of the Treasury claimed IRISL consequently developed “front” companies, including HDS Lines, in order to evade such sanctions. HDS Lines was created in 2009 to conduct containerized shipping operations and it established shipping routes that were almost identical to those formerly operated by IRISL.
   As a result, the U.S. Department of the Treasury issued additional sanctions on Iran in 2010, which included sanctions on HDS Lines and other firms it considered to be front companies.
   The United Nations and European Union began implementing such sanctions against IRISL and HDS Lines in the summer of 2010, according to industry analyst Alphaliner.
   However, July 2015’s nuclear deal between Iran and the six world powers (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, the U.S. And Germany), which constrained Iran’s nuclear activities and came into effect January 2016, effectively lifted the sanctions. 
   Prior to these sanctions being implemented, the primary exports from Hamburg to Iran consisted of barley, potash, fertilizers, feedstuffs and machinery, according to the Port of Hamburg. The primary exports from Iran to Hamburg comprised fresh and tinned fruit, yarns, other textiles, rubber and vegetables.
   As a result of the lifted sanctions, major container carriers MSC and CMA CGM also recently resumed regular service to Iran.
   On Dec. 31, 2015, MSC’s Falcon service began calling Bandar Abbas, while BlueWater Reporting said CMA CGM’s Midas service began calling the Iranian port in the third quarter of 2015. The Falcon service operates between Asia, the Middle East and the Indian Subcontinent; and the Midas service operates between the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent and Africa.
   According to BlueWater Reporting’s Port Dashboard tool, the following container carriers call at Bandar Abbas on one or more services: Evergreen Line, Hyundai, OOCL, Hanjin, “K” Line, KMTC, X-Press, UASC, CSCL, ANL, COSCO, U.S. Lines, Yang Ming, Wan Hai, PIL, Emirates, RCL, Messina, HDS Lines and IRISL.