Azerbaijan, Baku, Apr.30/ Trend F.Karimov/
Iran will build the second submersible platform for the purpose of drilling operations in the Caspian Sea, the Mehr News Agency reported.
The platform will have the same specifications with the first platform, named Amir Kabir, which is currently in operation in the Caspian Sea, Mehr quoted Khazar Oil Company managing director Ali Osuli as saying.
In addition to building the second platform, deals have been signed with Iranian manufacturers to design and build a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel, he added.
The Amir Kabir platform has started drilling the second exploratory well at the Sardar Jangal field in the Caspian Sea, he noted.
Construction of the Amir Kabir platform under Switzerland's GVA family platform licence was started 11 years ago and then completed by Iran's Sadra Company.
In addition, a drilling operation control system at this platform technically belongs to the Norwegians, whose company Maritime Hydraulic held training sessions for Iranian oil workers.
Iran has neither a pipeline nor FPSO vessel in the Caspian Sea to carry oil from the field to the shore.
The Amir Kabir rig can operate at a 1000-metre depth waters according to GVA's website. However, the cost of drilling wells at that depth is very high.
In December 2011, Iran said that it had discovered a large gas field in the Caspian Sea with at least 50 trillion cubic feet (some 1.4 trillion cubic meters) of reserves.
