Iran to Launch First Domestically Built Oil Tanker

Iran has plans to launch the country’s first domestically manufactured oil tanker in February.

The ship - measuring 186 meters long, 32 meters wide, and 16 meters high – can handle a capacity of 35,000 tons of oil products. The Tehran Times reports that the vessel has also been valued at US$29 million.

The National Iranian Tanker Company ordered the tanker and is awaiting its delivery scheduled for March 21, 2013.

Iran's consumer base for oil products has been restricted by sanctions imposed by Western governments concerned about the country's nuclear ambitions.

Iran has accomplished significant progress in the marine and shipbuilding industries in recent years and has developed several domestic and international projects. One of its latest shipbuilding projects was the first Aframax tanker made for the Venezuelan national oil company, PDVSA, in October, 2012. The tanker was one of the four tankers ordered by the Venezuelan company and built by Iran Marine Industrial Company.