Oct 13, 2016: The Zanzibar Maritime Authority (ZMA) has deregistered 13 of the 50 North Korean vessels that were flying the Tanzanian flag, according to media reports.

Reports suggest that ZMA director general Abdallah Hussein announced the process to deregister Democratic People's Republic of Korean (DPRK) vessels started in June and was ongoing to ensure no vessel with links to North Korea fly the Tanzania flag in compliance with the UN Security Council sanctions. Furthermore, the minister for Foreign Affairs minister, Dr Augustine Mahiga said that the ministry would initiate a diplomatic process to ensure that all vessels linked to North Korea are deregistered, the report added. If the deregistration started in June as Mr Hussein claimed, then, that hasn't been reflected yet in the Tanzania foreign ships registry, for the investigation carried out by Leo Byrne, a Data and Analytic Director at NK News based in Seoul shows the majority of the vessels that were deregistered by other countries following tightening of North Korean sanctions "transferred their details to the Tanzanian registry, which accepted nearly all the ships between June and August this year."
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