The United States on Thursday issued guidelines for the global maritime industry to counter shipping practices used by North Korea, Iran and Syria to avoid sanctions.
The U.S. State Department announced in a statement that the guidelines, known as a Global Maritime Advisory, include a detailed set of best practices for private industry to consider adopting to mitigate exposure to sanctions risks.
The advisory, published jointly by the State Department, the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, and the U.S. Coast Guard, provides individuals and businesses in the maritime industry as well as energy and metals sectors with information on how to counter illicit shipping and sanctions evasion.
The State Department warned that the deceptive shipping practices discussed in the report may create significant sanctions risk for individuals and entities involved in these industries.
It added that the advisory provides information about U.S. and United Nations sanctions relevant to the maritime industry, including a non-exhaustive list of activities for which persons could be sanctioned by the U.S. government.
The department said the U.S. remains committed to disrupting shipping activities by malign actors worldwide—including sanctions evasion and smuggling—which may facilitate criminal activity and threatens international peace and security.