Panama has canceled registry of more than 650 ships amid sanctions, stricter rules

PANAMA CITY, June 2 (Reuters) - Panama's Maritime Authority has canceled the registry of more than 650 vessels since 2019 as part of an effort to fulfill U.S. sanctions and enforce stricter rules for the ships it flags, it said in a release on Monday.

A total of 214 vessels have been withdrawn from Panama's ship registry, among the world's largest, since it began implementing new rules last year to enforce sanctions, the government added. The Central American nation is collaborating with the United States on its vessel registry, it said.