Iran Daily reported that Iran joined the world club of oil tanker producers after launching its first domestically made 113,000 tonne Aframax oil tanker in the southern waters of the country.
Mr Salman Zarbi MD of Iran Marine Industrial Company said that "The first Aframax oil tanker which was built by Iranian experts at Sadra industrial island and at the order of Venezuela is 250 meters long, 44 meters wide and 21 meters high, and has a 14.8 draft. Aframax weighs 113,000 tons and traverses at the speed of 16 knots per hour.
Mr Zarbi said that Iran succeeded in building its first gigantic oil tanker despite the westerners' cruel sanctions. Sadra Company had earlier announced that the Aframax oil tanker is worth EUR 52 million and is the first of its kind built in the Middle East. Despite the western embargos, Iran's maritime and shipbuilding industries have made huge progresses in recent years.
He said the tanker's design was changed in a number of cases during the designing process and finally in the winter of 2009 it was agreed that 113,000 tonne Aframax oil tankers will be manufactured. Manufacturing of 4 Aframax oil tankers is scheduled to take 40 months according to the signed contract, and we hope to be able to deliver them in due time.
He referred to the process of manufacturing the second oil tanker with a physical progress of 28%. The entire facilities and the engine of the second tanker ordered by Venezuela are now completed and as soon as lunching the first ship, the second one will be transferred to the dry manufacturing workshop pool for full assembly. He also referred to the employment potential of the ship building industry in the country, reiterating that currently 1,006 people are working at this ship manufacturing yard including 79 ship engineers.
H referred to the completion of the Middle East's largest crane in Bushehr province. Production of the crane was one of the serious technical challenges of the company, which was accomplished thanks to the entirely domestic technical know how.
