Growing sanctions pressure on Iran due to its atomic programme is hitting the country's vital seaborne trade, with France prominent in calls to impose new restrictions.
"In July 2011 the CMA CGM group decided to stop all exports out of Iran," the company said in an emailed statement to Reuters.
"Since September 2011, all containers bound for Iran are scanned at Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates before being shipped to their final destination using feeder vessels," it said.
CMA CGM had said in a note to customers in September it was introducing a scanning process from Khor Fakkan for all Iranian inbound container cargo, "in order to maintain a safe service in regards of the international sanctions".
Feeder vessels act as shuttles ferrying containerised goods to smaller ports from larger mainline terminals, cutting costs down. They also enable shipping groups, keen to ensure they do not fall foul of sanctions, to maintain services to Iran without calling directly to the Islamic Republic.
The growing raft of sanctions aim to ratchet up heat on Iran over its nuclear programme, following the release of a report by the International Atomic Energy Agency that suggested the country had worked on designing an atom bomb. The Islamic Republic has said its nuclear project is for peaceful purposes.
The shipping restrictions introduced by CMA CGM come after its announcement in June of extra security checks covering its activities in Iran, including the creation of an "Iran Compliance Desk".
CMA CGM was criticised by certain members of the U.S. Congress for lax security in Iran after an arms seizure in March by Israel aboard one of the firm's ships, which the Israelis said concerned Iranian-supplied weapons bound for Gaza.
The French group said it was the victim of a false freight declaration and was not accused of wrongdoing by Israel. (Reuters)
