Iran has so far leased 12 oil tankers to foreign companies, according to National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) director Ali Akbar Safaei. reports Mehr News Agency Safaei said that Iran had 69 tankers with a capacity of more than 15.5m tons.
Safaei said that the impetus for creating an independent fleet to enter international markets emerged at a time of economic crisis during the nationalization of oil industry and sanctions on Iranian oil by “colonial” governments.
The need to acquire a satisfactory share of oil transportation led Iran to take steps in order to enter global markets “in addition to providing oil sale opportunities in both normal and critical situations”.
Safaei reiterated that a total of 12 Iranian oil tankers had been leased out to foreign firms, with the figure expected to grow in coming years “given the willingness of foreigners to hire crude oil tankers”.