Iran says it has successfully installed a giant oil drilling platform at an offshore field south of the country despite reports suggesting the country is having problems keeping its oil rigs active because of the American sanctions on the oil industry.
The Iranian Offshore Oil Company (IOOC) said on Thursday that the installation operation for the S1 platform at Salman oilfield, located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Hormozgan province, had finished earlier in the day.
IOOC’s chief executive Alireza Salmanzadeh said that mounting the oil rig was a complicated operation given the weight of the structure, around 1050 metric tons, and its asymmetric size which had made lifting more difficult.
“The installation operation was carried out observing the maximum safety standards and despite all the difficulties,” Salmanzadeh told IRIB news, adding that the installation was a sign of capability and good cooperation between Iranian contractors and technicians.
The S1 platform has been constructed in shipyards in Khorramshahr, around 830 kilometers off Salman oilfield in southwest Iran.
The rig is connected to a 12-inch underwater pipeline while two 6-inch pipelines will be used for testing and gas transfer.
The installation of the rig comes a day after reports claimed that the American sanctions on Iran’s oil industry had caused almost a fourth of the country’s oil rigs to become idle.
Iran has yet to comment on the claims but authorities have repeatedly insisted that the sanctions have failed to affect Iran’s daily oil production capacity although they admit the bans have impacted the exports.
The Salman oilfield, located in the Lavan region, would see its output increase by 6,000 barrels per day after the installation of the new drilling rig.