EMEA News
Reports: Iran in Talks with Major Bunker Players
Nasrollah Sardashti, commercial director for the National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC) says that the company is in negotiations with two major bunkering companies to resume their pre-sanction relationships in providing fuel to its vessels, local media reports.
The bunker players in question were not identified.
NITC, said to operate the largest tanker fleet in the Middle East, is reported to be planning its return to the international market as soon as sanctions against Iran are lifted.
"Several preparations are made for returning to the international and European markets. Relying on our standards, our fleet can enter new markets and achieve the planned objectives," confirmed Ali Akbar Safaei, NITC's CEO.
"Our post-sanction planning is divided into minor and major programs in the short, mid, and long terms. The plans include access to the lost markets as well as expansion of the NITC fleet by introduction of new vessels."
The company says those new vessels are part of a fleet renewal programme aimed at keeping compliance with International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations, and will include the purchase and construction of 25 newbuild tankers with a combined total capacity of 6 million tonnes.
NITC, which says it will carry 90 percent of Iran's crude oil exports, says it has also been in talks with foreign firms to re-establish insurance for its vessels.
In Septmeber, Ship & Bunker reported that Iran appears to have already been significantly ramping up its oil and petroleum products export activity despite the fact that sanctions against the country have yet to actually be lifted.
