Buyer Says US Allows Ships Sanctioned Over Iran to Be Scrapped

GMS, a major buyer of ships and offshore vessels for recycling, says it has received the first US permit to purchase carriers sanctioned over Iran.

The licenses, issued in April, will allow four container ships to be scrapped: the Yogi, the Timon, the Rantanplan and the Bigli, according to GMS Chief Executive Officer Anil Sharma. All were named in a Treasury Department notice last July announcing “massive action” against the fleet and entourage of Hossein Shamkhani, a prominent figure whose father was a senior adviser to former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.

Shipowners, scrappers and dealers ...