Iranian Offshore Oil Company, a subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company, has signed contracts with three private companies to build six offshore vessels.
"The ships, designed to serve different purposes, are expected to be built in three years at an estimated cost of $50 million," Hamid Bovard, the company's CEO said on the sidelines of the signing ceremony in Kish Island on Tuesday, Financial Tribune reports.
Offshore vessels are specially designed ships for transporting goods and personnel to offshore oil platforms that operate deep in the oceans.
The private firm Barzin Energy Noavar has accepted to construct Azimuth (ASD) tug boats used for loading and exporting oil. Each ASD boat costs $10 million. The company is expexted to build the boats in three years.
Morvarid Parsian Kish, another private Iranian firm, also committed itself to build two anchor handling tug supply (AHTS) vessels in a deal worth more than $20 million, according to Shana news agency, which especialises in Iran energy news.
Also, the Iranian Offshore Oil Company singed another agreement with Petro Tadbir Pars to build flexible oil pipes, licensed by a European company.
“The policies and strategies of the Iranian Ministry of Petroleum are optimum exploitation of domestic manufacturers capabilities” added Bovard.
He mentioned the company has been able to reduce to 30% the percentage of foreign vessels that were used in its offshore operations. He also expressed optimism that by signing such deals, all of the boats would be owned by Iranian companies.