Тюремное заключение, арест имущества и исключение из банковской системы США – это санкции, которым подвергаются компании и физические лица – субъекты предпринимательской деятельности, вовлеченные в торговые операции со странами, против которых принимаются решения о введении санкций отдельными государствами или международными организациями. Особенно осторожными должны быть субъекты предпринимательства из ЕС и лица, бизнес которых тесно связан с США, в частности постольку, поскольку они осуществляют свои расчетные операции в долларах США. Однако и другие стороны, нарушающие международные запреты и ограничения, могут потерпеть значительные убытки в результате торговли с такими странами, как: Иран, Ливия или Сирия. Организация Объединенных Наций, Европейский Союз и государства-члены, а также такие государства, как: Австралия, Япония и Объединённые Арабские Эмираты вводят санкции, которые могут быть применены к субъектам, торгующим со странами, в отношении которых введены санкции. Настоящая публикация призвана помочь таким субъектам управлять рисками, связанными с применением к ним национальных и международных санкций.
Imprisonment, seizure of assets and exclusion from the US banking system are amongst the penalties which face companies and individuals who breach one or more of the raft of sanctions which national and international bodies have imposed against a number of countries over the past year or so. Because of their wide-ranging reach and remit, international sanctions will affect every company which is involved in any way with trade to or from a sanctioned country, such as Iran, Libya or Syria.
Buyers and sellers of logistics services are exposed to a number of particular risks, not only through their own activities, but also through the activities of those they deal with. They therefore need to have in place robust compliance procedures, carry out thorough due diligence, and, where possible, ensure that their contracts include appropriate warranties and indemnities. Those companies which have a US connection (even where that is limited to a reliance on US dollar payments) need to be particularly cautious.
This outline identifies the key risks which buyers and sellers of logistics services face, as well as suggesting a number of practical steps which they can take to minimise those risks. While it concentrates on companies who are carrying on business in the European Union, it also considers a number of issues which will affect buyers and sellers of logistics services wherever they are based.
We recommend that buyers and sellers of logistics services should carry out the following risk assessment to determine the extent to which sanctions affect their business.
Stage 1: Identify the applicable sanction regimes
Generally speaking, a buyer or seller of logistics services will be subject to any sanctions imposed by (i) the place where they have their operations and (ii) the place where they are incorporated if different. Sanctions which are applicable to the companies and/or individuals which own or control the company may also be relevant. While the most high profile sanctions against Iran are probably those imposed by the EU and the US, national sanctions have also been imposed by, amongst others, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Japan.
It is important to note that, in addition to the potential corporate exposure, directors and other employees may themselves be subject to sanctions imposed by their national state. This will be particularly relevant where the company employs US nationals in senior posts.
Stage 2: Identify whether the company’s business itself relates to a sanctioned country
Clearly if a buyer or seller of logistics services is itself based in a sanctioned country, they will face particular difficulties, including problems making and receiving payments.
Recent sanctions have also imposed an asset freeze against designated port operators, including Tidewater Middle East Co Ltd (which has operations at seven of the main ports in Iran, including the Shahid Rajaee Container Terminal at Bandar Abbas and Bandar Imam Khomeini Grain Terminal). This may well cause problems for buyers or sellers of logistics services in respect of cargoes being imported to or exported from Iran.
Stage 3: Identify whether a particular business or transaction has a connection with a sanctioned entity
This will be relevant where a buyer or seller of logistics services is based in a country which has either enacted national legislation to give effect to a UN resolution (eg Singapore) or which has imposed restrictions of its own (eg the US and EU Member States).
Where the company is from a sanctioned country, or has connections with entities which are located or incorporated in sanctioned countries, the buyer or seller of logistics services should ensure that no payments are made to or received from a sanctioned entity, save where the necessary licence is in place. Because the prohibitions include both direct and indirect payments and because the sanctioned entities often have links with a number of other entities, it is important that detailed due diligence is carried out on all counterparties, to ensure that no prohibited payments are made or received.
Checks should be carried out against all applicable lists of sanctions targets and particular care should be taken to identify any entity which is associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL) or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), both of which are subject to the UN asset freeze. Likewise, any connection with Colonel Gaddafi’s former regime in Libya should be carefully scrutinised. The situation is, of course, highly dynamic, and the status of counterparties in sanctioned countries needs to be kept under review.
It is also important to keep in mind that the sanctioned entities may well be incorporated in countries which are not themselves subject to sanctions. By way of example, the sanctions against Iran include companies incorporated in Germany, Malta, Malaysia and Switzerland.
Even where no designated person is involved, buyers and sellers of logistics services based in the EU should ensure that all payments to or from Iranian persons (which includes people of other nationalities resident in Iran) are processed in accordance with the necessary procedures.
Finally, EU insurers may be unable to provide the usual insurance cover for voyages that may be affected by sanctions, and any insurance which is provided may include other exclusions in respect of sanctions. This may potentially give rise to problems.
Stage 4: Identify whether a particular business or transaction has a connection with sanctioned goods
Again, this will be relevant where a buyer or a seller of logistics services is based in a country which has either enacted national legislation to give effect to a UN resolution or which has imposed restrictions of its own.
Where cargoes are bound for a sanctioned country, checks should be carried out to identify the true nature (and intended use) of the cargo. Companies will already be aware of the risks of cargoes (particularly containerised cargoes) being misdeclared to conceal their identity, and earlier this year a major liner operator discovered that one of its vessels had been misled into carrying unlawful weapons which had been stowed behind a false container wall and declared as food products. Shipowners may try to obtain appropriate warranties and indemnities from their counterparties as to the nature (and intended use) of the cargo, and those providing these warranties need to be confident that they have sufficient information to be able confidently to provide such warranties and indemnities.
If prohibited goods are being carried, it is also prohibited for EU-based shipowners to provide bunkering or ship supply services, or any other servicing of vessels to vessels owned or controlled directly or indirectly by an Iranian person, entity or body. The EU Regulation also imposes additional requirements in respect of pre-arrival and pre-departure information where goods are transported to or from Iran.
The EU sanctions include not only the usual prohibited cargoes (such as weapons or equipment which might be used for internal repression) but also, in the case of sanctions against Iran, equipment for Iran’s oil and gas industry. The prohibited equipment and technology is listed in Annex VI to EU Regulation 961/2010, and relates primarily to exploration, production and refining.
In addition, every company worldwide is potentially subject to the US Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2010 (CISADA), which is intended to have extra-territorial effect. Breach of CISADA may result in seizure of assets in the US, imposition of a ban on loans from US banks, and exclusion from the US banking system (which would prevent making or receiving any US dollar payments).
CISADA prohibits a range of activities, in order to hinder Iran’s ability to import and produce refined petroleum products (diesel, gasoline, jet fuel and aviation gasoline). The prohibited activities are widely drafted, and they specifically include provision of ships or shipping services to deliver refined petroleum products to Iran. They also include provision of other goods or services which could either (i) facilitate the maintenance or expansion of Iran’s domestic production of refined petroleum products or (ii) contribute to the enhancement of Iran’s ability to import refined petroleum products.
The US State Department and Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) are taking an increasingly robust line and they are stepping up their enforcement activities. Given the breadth of the definitions of prohibited activities, there is certainly scope for the US authorities to take enforcement action against a terminal operator if prohibited goods are being supplied to Iran.
Stage 5: Identify whether a particular business or transaction may give rise to a potential exposure for another reason
The key issue in this respect is payment in US dollars. Because it is our understanding that all US dollar payments clear through the US, our view is that US legislation will have an affect not only on US nationals and US companies (who are effectively prohibited from trading with Iran, by reason of the Iranian Transaction Regulations), but also on non-US nationals and companies which trade in US dollars, or which have some other connection with the US.
Companies which are engaged in business which has a connection with Iran may wish to ensure that payments are made in a currency other than US dollars, to make certain that there is no US connection.
Conclusion
The above summary identifies a number of the particular risks which buyers and sellers of logistics services face, through their own operations, as well as the activities of those they deal with. It highlights the need for appropriate due diligence, particularly as to counterparties, and the cargo which is being carried.
This is a complex and dynamic area, and appropriate legal advice should be taken if there is any concern about exposure to international sanctions.
A version of this article first appeared in the September 2011 issue of Port Strategy under the title “On Whose Authorisation”.
Автор: Daniel Martin, Associate, on +44 (0)20 7264 8189 or daniel.martin@hfw.com, or your usual contact at HFW.