With 942 vessels, Iran is the largest maritime trade power in the Middle East region and owns more than a third of the merchant ships in the region.
In a report on the naval fleets in the Middle East region, the economic analysis of Central Intelligence Agency of America (CIA) revealed that with 942 ships, Iran was the largest maritime trade power in the region in 2022. According to the report, Iran has 32 bulk carriers, 31 container ships, 83 oil tankers, 393 general cargo ships and 403 ships of other types in 2022.
Iran had the largest number of merchant ships in 2022 among the 12 countries in the Middle East. Iran stood well above with 306 ships above the second country.
Iran's number of ships is more than twice that of Saudi Arabia. The CIA has announced the number of Saudi ships in 2022 was 413 and has introduced this country as the third maritime trade power in the Middle East region. Bahrain with 190 ships and Kuwait with 166 ships stood in fourth and fifth places, respectively.
Qatar with 123 ships, Iraq with 75 ships, Oman with 57 ships, Lebanon with 49 ships, Jordan with 35 ships, Yemen with 30 ships, and Syria with 22 shipswere the sixth to twelfth, respectively.
The total number of operating commercial ships in the Middle East last year was 2,738, and more than one-third of these ships, equivalent to 34%, belonged to Iran.