The unprofitable ground services and cargo businesses would be sold off or wound down.

BBC: Crunch talks for ailing Alitalia

The vessel's operator, the Dubai-based Pioneer Ship Management Services, reported that a cargo of petrol was loaded in Nigeria and was being moved to the US and Europe.

BBC: Surviving the pirates off the coast of Nigeria

Singapore recently signed an agreement allowing passenger services to China to rise by 75% and cargo deliveries to triple by 2004.

FORBES: Dogfight

One global company based in Florida, MTN has for the past thirty years pioneered and developed satellite-based services for virtually all of the cruise ships and cargo carriers in the world.

FORBES: Cruise Ship Communications for Passengers Is About to Change

Its calls to curb financial services and ban all heavy-arms exports to Iran, to inspect suspicious cargo and to restrict some Iranian companies and officials will allow individual countries to take more draconian steps to stamp on the trade supporting Iran's programme.

ECONOMIST: Iranian sanctions