PANAMA: The Panamanian Maritime Authority (AMP) has announced that they will be removing more Panamanian flags from vessels that violate international sanctions. After Washington reimposed sanctions on Iran in 2018, then-president Juan Carlos Varela approved the removal of the Panamian flag to a fleet of 59 vessels linked to the Iranian and Syrian government. Around 8,600 ships around the world fly the Panamanian flag, seen by shipowners as convenient given the avoidance of stricter maritime regulations imposed in their own countries.