That's kind of,.. well.. concerning. I know they have supposedly 'dark' because of oil shipments to Iran (that they don't want tracked) but who is to say what they are doing in secret.. ??

This could, or could not have anything to do with the port being sold. Just something to watch...

Lynda

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By The Maritime Executive 2019-10-09 17:51:29

About a third of the tankers owned by COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) have shut off their AIS systems after the U.S. imposed sanctions on the company for allegedly shipping Iranian crude, reports Reuters.

Ship tracking data from Refinitiv Eikon indicates that in the week ending October 7, 14 tankers, including nine VLCCs, have gone dark.

The U.S. imposed sanctions on the company on September 25. At the time, the U.S. Department of State said the company, along with five others, knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the transport of oil from Iran in defiance of sanctions set in place in November 2018. The firms directly sanctioned under E.O. 13846 were: China Concord Petroleum Co., Limited, Kunlun Shipping Company Limited, Pegasus 88 Limited, and COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Seaman & Ship Management Co, Ltd. Additional sanctions were imposed on the following two Chinese companies which own or control one or more of the companies: Kunlun Holding Company Ltd. and COSCO Shipping Tanker (Dalian) Co., Ltd.