Baku, Azerbaijan, May 11
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
Iran's biggest oil shipping company is prepared to sail back into the European waters after five years, Nasrollah Sardashti, Commercial Director of the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC), said.
"We have announced our readiness to resume carrying oil cargos to the European ports from June," Sardashti said, IRNA news agency reported May 11.
Following the removal of the international sanctions last January, Iran's former oil costumers have resumed purchases from Tehran, however the customers have carried the oil cargos by themselves so far, he added.
The NITC has settled problems with the International Group of the Protection and Indemnity (P&I) Clubs, Sardashti said, adding the company's tankers underwent a major overhaul for strong return to the European markets.
NITC, the privatized Iranian shipping company, says it has 42 very large crude carriers, known as VLCCs, after buying 20 such China-built vessels in the recent years.
Iran was forced to rely more on NITC, the former state-owned shipping company, to transport crude oil after Europe imposed sanctions on Iran and banned insurers from covering ships carrying the Iranian crude.
Under the sanctions Iran's oil export was limited to certain countries including China, India, South Korea and Turkey, which was mainly carried by the NITC fleet.
Sardashti further said that the company has recently bought VLGC (Very Large Gas Carrier) tankers, to increase its gas shipping capacity.