Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.1
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran is self-sufficient in building oil platforms, Ali Akbar Safaei, Managing Director of National Iranian Tanker Company said, the Islamic Republic's official IRNA news agency reported Dec. 1.
He added that measures have been taken to transfer the technology for building and repairing large ships to the country.
Safaee said that the maritime industries development fund has played a key role in removing problems in this sector.
Iranian Deputy Transport Minister Mohammad Saeidnejad said the domestic maritime industry has a capacity to produce 100,000 metric tons of products per year.
The maritime industry accounts for 4.1 percent of the country's GDP, he said, adding that 800,000 people are working in the maritime industry.
A special fund has been set up to support investors in maritime projects, but the fund's assets are not sufficient and the fund has just $3 million at present, he noted.
In October, European Union sanctions on NITC were annulled.
NITC had contested the EU's blacklisting, arguing that the firm is privately owned by Iranian pension funds. It has denied any links with the Iranian government or with the Revolutionary Guards.
The sanctions - imposed in 2012 over Tehran 's disputed nuclear program - prohibited any trade between the EU, its companies and citizens, and NITC, including the provision of services such as insurance or banking.
In July the Luxembourg-based General Court, the second-highest court in the EU, ruled there were no grounds to blacklist NITC in the bloc.
