....Tumefanya hivyo kwa kuzingatia uwezo wetu wa kiutafiti na kutaka utafiti huu kuwa huru kwa kuwashirikisha wao wenye ujuzi mkubwa. Tunafanya hivyo kwa kuwa wakala wa ZMA anayefanya kazi za kusajili amekana kusajili meli za Iran, Balozi wa Iran nchini aliitwa akakanusha. Tutakapopata matokeo ya utafiti na ikithibitika kuwepo na ukweli hatua zitachukuliwa mara moja. Tukithibitisha tuhuma hizi tutafutilia mbali usajili wa meli hizo. Tunafanya hivyo kutimiza wajibu wetu kimataifa hususan Azimio 1920 la UN Security Council.Tanzani sio adui wa nchi yoyote duniani. Tunafurahia mahusiano yetu na nchi zote duniani. .... Tusimame pamoja kama taifa. Nchi kwanza!
Zanzibar government defends Iranian oil tankers` registrationThe Zanzibar government yesterday defended its move to register Iranian oil tankers, saying it didn't break any laws as claimed by a section of the international media early this week.
Zanzibar Infrastructure and Communication minister Hamad Masoud Hamad refuted reports that the Isles government had registered Iranian oil tankers as reported by Bloomberg News Agency early this week.
The minister admitted however that the said Iranian oil tankers were previously registered in Cyprus and Malta islands.
Briefing the House of Representatives yesterday, Hamad said the registered oil tankers were not covered by international sanctions imposed on Iranian ships by the European Union and the United States.
The minister stated that according to the Zanzibar Marine Transport AuthorityAct, number 3 of 2009, and the Zanzibar Marine Transport Act of 2006, the Isles government had full autonomy to register international ships.
According to the minister, Zanzibar entered into an agreement with a Dubai-based company, Philtex Ltd, to act as its agent in the registration of all international ships, known in the shipping industry as ‘open registry'
The minister added that open registry had been in effect since 2009, whereby a number of international cargo ships, oil tankers and passenger vessels were registered in Zanzibar.
Contrary to the media reports, the minister said, the vessels claimed to belong to Iranian authorities were in fact owned by British nationals living in the Virgin Islands and the Seychelles. The minister warned against interference by the union government in the matter as promised by his counterpart, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, saying marine transport in Zanzibar wasn't a union affair.
Citing relations between Iran and Zanzibar, the minister said the two countries had strong ties, adding that that was why Iran's vice-president recently visited the Indian Ocean archipelago to discuss how to strengthen the relations. He warned that Zanzibar wasn't ready to be dragged into the ongoing conflicts between Iran and Western countries.
Speaking about the Iranian tanker flying the Tanzanian flag, the minister said since Zanzibar was part of the union, there was nothing wrong for vessels registered in the Isles to fly the union flag.
"But if the Tanzanian government won't feel comfortable with the tankers flying the union flag we are ready to let them fly the Zanzibar flag. This is no big deal and it should not be blown out of proportion," the minister said.
On Monday, Bloomberg News Agency reported that NITC, an oil-tanker company owned by Iranian pension funds, renamed at least 10 of its vessels and switched them to flying the Tanzanian flag amid increasing curbs on transactions with the Persian Gulf nation.
NITC renamed five large crude oil carriers, each with a capacity to hold about 2 million barrels of oil, and five Suezmaxes, hauling 1 million barrels each, according to the Equasis shipping database maintained by the European Commission, Bloomberg reported.
Ownership was switched from NITC to new companies operating from the same address in Tehran and NITC remains the operator, the data show. All the ships were previously registered in Malta or Cyprus.
A European embargo on Iranian crude exports, which comes into effect on July 1, extends to insuring vessels that carry oil. Twenty-five NITC tankers are being used to store crude, the Paris-based International Energy Agency said on June 13, this year.
The US and Europe said Iran's nuclear programme was aimed at developing atomic weapons while the government in Tehran says it is for civilian purposes.
Habibolah Seyedan, NITC's commercial director, was unavailable for comment, said a person who answered a call to his office yesterday. The company lists 39 tankers on its website. Philtex Corp. operates the administrative office of the Tanzania Zanzibar International Register of Shipping from Dubai, according to the register's website.
Source: The Guardian.
Inaelekea Membe hana habari nini kinaendelea nchini pengine anakaa nje ya Tanzania sana, maana angekuwa anafuatilia mambo ya nyumbani asingeleta hizo ngonjera alizohani.
Sasa anahitaji kufanya utafiti gani ili hali Zanzibar ilishakubali kwamba imesajili hizo meli? Hivi hawa watu huwa hawawezi kabisa kuwa straight katika kauli zao na kuomba radhi pale wanapokosea, isipokuwa kupindisha ukweli na kuleta blabla? Kwanini wasimtimue huyo waziri aliyehusika, waiombe radhi jumuia ya kimataifa na kufuta tu huo usajili badala ya kuanza longolongo?
Japo itakua nje ya mada but at least amadmit kuwa kuna SAerikali mbili kwenye nchi moja, na hivyo kuna marais wawili kwenye nchi moja, hio nchi ya pili haionekani hapaSerikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano na SMZ hazitaki kupuuza taarifa hizi. Serikali zote mbili zimeamua kufanya uchunguzi ili kuthibitisha.
Bernard Kamilius Membe
Serikali imepokea taarifa kuhusu tuhuma za meli za Iran kupeperusha bendera za Tanzania ili kukwepa vikwazo. Serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano na SMZ hazitaki kupuuza taarifa hizi. Serikali zote mbili zimeamua kufanya uchunguzi ili kuthibitisha. Tanzania imewaarifu nchi zilizolalamika marafiki kuwaomba kusaidiana nasi kufanya uchunguzi na kushirikiana kuthibitisha taarifa hii. Tumefanya hivyo kwa kuzingatia uwezo wetu wa kiutafiti na kutaka utafiti huu kuwa huru kwa kuwashirikisha wao wenye ujuzi mkubwa. Tunafanya hivyo kwa kuwa wakala wa ZMA anayefanya kazi za kusajili amekana kusajili meli za Iran, Balozi wa Iran nchini aliitwa akakanusha. Tutakapopata matokeo ya utafiti na ikithibitika kuwepo na ukweli hatua zitachukuliwa mara moja. Tukithibitisha tuhuma hizi tutafutilia mbali usajili wa meli hizo. Tunafanya hivyo kutimiza wajibu wetu kimataifa hususan Azimio 1920 la UN Security Council.Tanzani sio adui wa nchi yoyote duniani. Tunafurahia mahusiano yetu na nchi zote duniani. Hili ni jambo linalogusa maslahi ya Tanzania nje na maslahi ya Tanzania ya ndani (Muungano), tujihadhari na namna tunavyolizungumzia. Tusimame pamoja kama taifa. Nchi kwanza!
Contrary to the media reports, the minister said, the vessels claimed to belong to Iranian authorities were in fact owned by British nationals living in the Virgin Islands and the Seychelles. The minister warned against interference by the union government in the matter as promised by his counterpart, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, saying marine transport in Zanzibar wasn't a union affair.
Citing relations between Iran and Zanzibar, the minister said the two countries had strong ties, adding that that was why Iran's vice-president recently visited the Indian Ocean archipelago to discuss how to strengthen the relations. He warned that Zanzibar wasn't ready to be dragged into the ongoing conflicts between Iran and Western countries.
Speaking about the Iranian tanker flying the Tanzanian flag, the minister said since Zanzibar was part of the union, there was nothing wrong for vessels registered in the Isles to fly the union flag.
"But if the Tanzanian government won't feel comfortable with the tankers flying the union flag we are ready to let them fly the Zanzibar flag. This is no big deal and it should not be blown out of proportion," the minister said.
kwa haya maelezo ya waziri wa zanzibar ina dhihirisha ule ujinga wa siasa za ndani wanaofanya kina membe wanauendeleza mpaka kwenye siasa za kimataifa.
Huyu Membe yuko busy kutafuta kuwa raisi 2015 na kupuuza maswala ya msingi akidhani watanzania ni wapuuzi.