The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control authorized certain academic and professional exchange activities between the U.S. and Sudan, the agency announced April 15. The new general license allows U.S. academic institutions to “establish and operate” exchange programs with Sudanese academic institutions. It authorizes U.S. persons to administer professional certificate exams, university entrance exams and professional training seminars in Sudan. The license also allows certain U.S. persons to conduct research in Sudan for noncommercial studies. These activities were previously prohibited under Sudanese Sanctions Regulations.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control added the following entities to its Specially Designated Nationals list. All were added under Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations and Iranian Financial Sanctions Regulations.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the following additions to its Specially Designated Nationals list April 9. All were added under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations.

The Treasury Department formally published regulations for imports from Burma (Myanmar) and transactions with blocked Burmese financial institutions, and two General Licenses issued under the Burma sanctions program:

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed the following Colombian entity from its Specially Designated Nationals list April 3. It was originally added under Narcotics Trafficking Sanctions Regulations.

Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced the following deletions from its Specially Designated Nationals list April 2. All were originally added under Former Liberian Regime of Charles Taylor Sanctions Regulations.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control released updated Office of Enforcement Data Delivery Standards March 29. The standards describe technical requirements for the preferred format for submitting electronic documents. OFAC’s Office of Enforcement added an addendum listing the data fields that should be populated when submitting an electronic filing in a concordance-ready format.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control removed the following entity and individual from its Specially Designated Nationals list. They were originally added under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Sanctions Regulations:

A Louisiana company will pay $20,800 to settle potential civil liability for alleged violations of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferators Sanctions Regulations, the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said March 21. Between April 2009 and June 2010, Maritech Commercial Inc. provided fuel inspection services for five vessels affiliated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines, OFAC said. That company is on the agency’s list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons. The Iranian company -- which has a history of trying to evade sanctions, OFAC said -- changed the names of four of the five vessels prior to April 2009. But the vessels were still identifiable by their IMO number, which are assigned to vessels of a certain size and nature when constructed. At the time of the violation, Maritech was not screening the names or IMO numbers of any vessels it provided services to against the SDN list, OFAC said.

The Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued FAQs regarding recent steps the U.S. has taken to ease economic and trade sanctions against Burma (Myanmar), including General License Nos. 16-19 (here).