The purchase of second-hand ships from foreign countries and the absence of new orders for Iranian shipyards is likely to inflict huge damage to Iran’s shipbuilding industry, CEO of Iran Marine Industrial Company (SADRA) Reza Abdolmajid said on Wednesday.
In a press conference in Mazandaran province, Abdolmajid stated that during the recent years, more and more second-hand ships have been purchased from the Caspian Sea littoral states. “This has damaged the domestic industries,” IRNA quoted him as saying.
“Unfortunately, the disadvantages of purchasing second-hand ships do not end there,” he said, adding that compared to new vessels, second-hand ships can only be used for a relatively short period of time. While serving the industrial benefits of the supplier countries, the purchase of second-hand ships results in big financial losses for Iran, Abdolmajid said.
In line with international laws and standards, Iran’s shipbuilding industry is one of the most advanced and modern in the country. According to Abdolmajid, the trust of domestic buyers in the domestic shipbuilding industry will prevent foreign exchange from exiting the country and result in the growth of shipbuilding in Iran. This will also create numerous job opportunities.
Specialists, engineers, and well-trained laborers, as well as the machinery lie at SADRA’s disposal. All this tells of SADRA’s great potentials in shipbuilding. “Unfortunately, only 30 percent of this potential is being utilized today. The current situation of the company does not meet the expenses, nor does it satisfy the high expectations for SADRA,” the official stressed.
With a change in vision and hopes to get SADRA up and running once again, the company plans to launch several new major projects.
Regarding the country’s need to create a naval cargo fleet and the richness of the Caspian Sea in oil reserves, the official announced that SADRA is ready to produce cargo ships and oil tankers with a capacity of 7,000 tons.
In the past years, SADRA once provided more than 3,000 job opportunities. After facing certain problems, the company currently has no more than 430 employees.
“If the new projects are launched the number can rise to 1,000.”
