Iran to build 2 oil tankers for Venezuela
Reuters reports, citing informed sources, that Venezuela is entering into a contract with an Iranian company to build two oil tankers. However, Venezuela’s efforts to strengthen its shipping fleet have faced numerous difficulties, including delays in payment and registration issues for the tankers.
Venezuela’s state-owned oil company has been taking actions since last year to lease, purchase, and increase its fleet of oil tankers. Over the past decade, due to budget shortages and US sanctions, which have limited the insurance and navigation of its vessels in international ports, Venezuela has lost a significant portion of its shipping capacity.
The price of each of these two Aframax oil tankers, which are planned to be named Indya Orkia and Indya Mara, will be approximately $34 million.
These tankers will be built by Iran’s SADRA (Iran Marine Industrial Company) in the shipbuilding facilities of Bandar Bushehr. In the past, SADRA has also built two other Aframax tankers named Aryta and Anita for Venezuela’s state-owned oil company, with a capacity ranging from 500,000 to 800,000 barrels.